Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism


Aratus of Soli | Copyright Page

ISSN 0896-0011

Volume 64

Criticism of the Works of World Authors from Classical Antiquity through the Fourteenth Century, from the First Appraisals

to Current Evaluations

Lynn M. Zott

Project Editor

Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Vol. 64
Project Editor

Lynn M. Zott

Editorial

Jessica Bomarito, Jenny Cromie, Kathy D. Darrow, Elisabeth Gellert, Julie Keppen, Jelena

O. Krstovic´, Michelle Lee, Thomas J. Schoenberg, Marie Toft, Lawrence J. Trudeau, Russel Whitaker

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Research

Nicodemus Ford, Sarah Genik, Tamara C. Nott, Tracie A. Richardson

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER 88-658021

ISBN 0-7876-6767-6
ISSN 0896-0011

Printed in the United States of America 10987654321

Preface

S
ince its inception in 1988, Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism (CMLC) has been a valuable resource for students and librarians seeking critical commentary on the works and authors of antiquity through the fourteenth century. The great poets, prose writers, dramatists, and philosophers of this period form the basis of most humanities curricula, so that virtually every student will encounter many of these works during the course of a high school and college education. Reviewers have found CMLC “useful” and “extremely convenient,” noting that it “adds to our understanding of the rich legacy left by the ancient period and the Middle Ages,” and praising its “general excellence in the presentation of an inherently interesting subject.” No other single reference source has surveyed the critical reaction to classical and medieval literature as thoroughly as CMLC.

Scope of the Series

CMLC provides an introduction to classical and medieval authors, works, and topics that represent a variety of genres, time periods, and nationalities. By organizing and reprinting an enormous amount of critical commentary written on authors and works of this period in world history, CMLC helps students develop valuable insight into literary history, promotes a better understanding of the texts, and sparks ideas for papers and assignments.

Each entry in CMLC presents a comprehensive survey of an author’s career, an individual work of literature, or a literary topic, and provides the user with a multiplicity of interpretations and assessments. Such variety allows students to pursue their own interests; furthermore, it fosters an awareness that literature is dynamic and responsive to many different opinions. Early commentary is offered to indicate initial responses, later selections document changes in literary reputations, and retrospective analyses provide the reader with modern views. The size of each author entry is a relative reflection of the scope of the criticism available in English.

An author may appear more than once in the series if his or her writings have been the subject of a substantial amount of criticism; in these instances, specific works or groups of works by the author will be covered in separate entries. For example, Homer will be represented by three entries, one devoted to the Iliad, one to the Odyssey, and one to the Homeric Hymns.

CMLC continues the survey of criticism of world literature begun by Gale’s Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC), Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (TCLC), Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism (NCLC), Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 (LC), and Shakespearean Criticism (SC).

Organization of the Book

A CMLC entry consists of the following elements:

  • © The Author Heading cites the name under which the author most commonly wrote, followed by birth and death dates. Also located here are any name variations under which an author wrote, including transliterated forms for authors whose native languages use nonroman alphabets. If the author wrote consistently under a pseudonym, the pseudonym will be listed in the author heading and the author’s actual name given in parenthesis on the first line of the biographical and critical information. Uncertain birth or death dates are indicated by question marks. Single-work entries are preceded by a heading that consists of the most common form of the title in English translation (if applicable) and the original date of composition.
  • © The Introduction contains background information that introduces the reader to the author, work, or topic that is the subject of the entry.

    • vii

    Science and the Art in the Fourteenth Century. Edited by Madeleine Pelner Cosman and Bruce Chandler. Copyright © 1978 by The New York Academy of Sciences. Reproduced by permission.

    COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN CMLC, VOLUME 64, WAS REPRODUCED FROM THE FOLLOWING PERIODICALS:

    Al-Qantara, v. 21, 2000. Copyright © 2000 Qantara. Reproduced by permission. —Antichthon, v. 23, 1989. Copyright © 1989 Antichthon. Reproduced by permission. —Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt (II), v. 32, 1984. Copyright © 1984 Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt. Reproduced by permission. —Catholic Biblical Quarterly,v.51, July, 1989. Copyright © 1989 Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Reproduced by permission. —Catholic Biblical Quarterly,v.51, October, 1989. Copyright © 1989 Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Reproduced by permission. —Classical Journal,v.51, April, 1955; v. 61, January, 1966; v. 79, 1984. Copyright © 1955, 1966, 1984 Classical Journal. Reproduced by permission. —Classical Philology, v. 92, October, 1997 for “‘The Sainted Julius’: Valerius Maximus and the Dictator” by D. Wardle. Copyright © 1997 Classical Philology. Reproduced by permission of the author. —Classical Quarterly, v. 50, 2000 for “Valerius Maximus on the Domus Augusta, Augustus, and Tiberius” by D. Wardle; v. 51, 2001 for “Cicero’s Astronomy” by Emma Gee. Copyright © 2000, 2001 Classical Quarterly. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press and the respective authors. —Classical Review, v. 51, 2001 for “Review of Aratos: Phénomènes, edited by J. Martin” by Mirjam Plantinga. © Oxford University Press, 2001. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press and the author. —Glyph, v. 5, 1979. Copyright © 1979 The Johns Hopkins University Press. Reproduced by permission. —Hamdard Islamicus, v. 18, Fall, 1995. Copyright © 1995 Hamdard Islamicus. Reproduced by permission. —Hermes, v. 94, January, 1966. Copyright © 1966 Hermes. Reproduced by permission. —International Journal of Middle East Studies,v.28, February, 1995. Copyright © International Journal of Middle East Studies. Reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press. —Islamic Studies, v. 3, December, 1964. Copyright © 1964 Islamic Studies. Reproduced by permission. —Journal of Roman Studies, v. 69, 1979 for “Sabazius and the Jews in Valerius Maximus: A Re-Examination” by Eugene

    N. Lane. Copyright © Journal of Roman Studies. Reproduced by permission. —Medieval Encounters, v. 5, March, 1999;

    v. 6, 2000. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 1999, 2000. Reproduced by permission. —Phoenix, v. 53, Fall-Winter, 1999. Copyright © 1999 Phoenix. Reproduced by permission. —Sky and Telescope, v. 72, October, 1986. Copyright © 1986 Sky Publishing Corporation. Reproduced by permission. —Zeitschrift für die neutestamentarische Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche, v. 83, 1992. Copyright © 1992 Zeitschrift für die neutestamentarische Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche. Reproduced by permission.

    PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS APPEARING IN CMLC, VOLUME 64, WERE RECEIVED FROM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES:

    Emperor Claudius, illustration. The Library of Congress. —Exterior of Cordoba Cathedral, photograph by Vittoriano Rastelli. Corbis. Reproduced by permission. —Machaut, Guillaume, visited by angels, manuscript illumination. Corbis-Bettmann. Reproduced by permission. —“Sun and Moon” from a copy of the “Aratus” manuscript. © Stapleton Collection/ Corbis. Reproduced by permission.

    Gale Literature Product Advisory Board

    The members of the Gale Group Literature Product Advisory Board—reference librarians from public and academic library systems—represent a cross-section of our customer base and offer a variety of informed perspectives on both the presentation and content of our literature products. Advisory board members assess and define such quality issues as the relevance, currency, and usefulness of the author coverage, critical content, and literary topics included in our series; evaluate the layout, presentation, and general quality of our printed volumes; provide feedback on the criteria used for selecting authors and topics covered in our series; provide suggestions for potential enhancements to our series; identify any gaps in our coverage of authors or literary topics, recommending authors or topics for inclusion; analyze the appropriateness of our content and presentation for various user audiences, such as high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, librarians, and educators; and offer feedback on any proposed changes/enhancements to our series. We wish to thank the following advisors for their advice throughout the year.

    Barbara M. Bibel

    Librarian Oakland Public Library Oakland, California

    Dr. Toby Burrows

    Principal Librarian The Scholars’ Centre University of Western Australia Library Nedlands, Western Australia

    Celia C. Daniel

    Associate Reference Librarian Howard University Washington, D.C.

    David M. Durant

    Reference Librarian Joyner Library East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina

    Nancy Guidry

    Librarian Bakersfield Community College Bakersfield, California

    Steven R. Harris

    English Literature Librarian University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee

    Mary Jane Marden

    Literature and General Reference Librarian St. Petersburg Jr. College Pinellas Park, Florida

    Heather Martin

    Arts & Humanities Librarian University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sterne Library Birmingham, Alabama

    Susan Mikula

    Librarian Indiana Free Library Indiana, Pennsylvania

    Thomas Nixon

    Humanities Reference Librarian University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davis Library Chapel Hill, North Carolina

    Mark Schumacher

    Jackson Library University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina

    Gwen Scott-Miller

    Assistant Director of Materials and Programming Sno-Isle Regional Library System Marysville, Washington

    Donald Welsh

    Head, Reference Services College of William and Mary, Swem Library Williamsburg, Virginia

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