Title Finding the right words : Isidore's Synonyma in Anglo-Saxon England / Claudia Di Sciaccia

Published Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [2008] ©2008

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Description 1 online resource (xvi, 323 pages) Series Toronto Old English series Toronto Old English series. Contents 1. Isidore of Seville: His Life and Culture -- 2. Synonyma: Their Structure, Style, and Sources -- 3. Isidore and the Synonyma in the British Isles -- 4. Vernacularization of the Synonyma: The Case of Vercelli xxii -- 5. Vernacularization of the Synonyma: The ubi sunt Topos -- 6. Synonyma in Anglo-Latin Literature -- 7. Synonyma in Anglo-Saxon England: Some Conclusions -- Index of Manuscripts -- Index of Passages Cited and Discussed Summary Isidore of Seville (circa 570-636) was the author of the Etymologiae,. the most celebrated and widely circulated encyclopaedia of the western Middle Ages. In addition, Isidore's Synonyma were very successful and became one of the classics of medieval spirituality. Indeed, it was the Synonyma that were to define the so-called 'Isidorian style,' a rhymed, rhythmic prose that proved influential throughout the Middle Ages.Finding the Right Words is the first book-length study to deal with the transmission and reception of works by Isidore of Seville in Anglo-Saxon England, with a particular focus on the Synonyma. Beginning with a general survey of Isidore's life and activity as a bishop in early seventh-century Visigothic Spain, Claudia Di Sciacca offers a comprehensive introduction to the Synonyma, drawing special attention to their distinctive style. She goes on to discuss the transmission of the text to early medieval England and its 'vernacularisation,' that is, its translations and adaptations in Old English prose and verse. The case for the particular receptiveness of the Synonyma in Anglo-Saxon England is strongly supported by both a close reading of primary sources and an extensive selection of secondary literature. This rigorous, well-documented volume demonstrates the significance of the Synonyma to our understanding of the literary pretensions and pedagogical practices of Anglo-Saxon England, and offers new insights into the interaction of Latin and vernacular within its literary culture Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-304) and indexes Notes Includes text in Latin and Old English Subject Isidore, of Seville, Saint, -636. Synonyma. SUBJECT Synonyma (Isidore, of Seville, Saint) fast Subject Devotional literature, Latin (Medieval and modern) -- England -- History and criticism English prose literature -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 -- History and criticism Spirituality -- England -- History -- Middle Ages, 600-1500 RELIGION -- Christianity -- History. HISTORY -- Medieval. Devotional literature, Latin (Medieval and modern) English prose literature -- Old English Spirituality -- Middle Ages England Genre/Form Electronic books Literary criticism Criticism, interpretation, etc. History Literary criticism. Critiques littéraires. Form Electronic book ISBN 9781442688117 1442688114

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