A primera sang: batalles nupcials en la Catalunya barroca. Els epitalamis al galant Alba de Francesc Fontanella

Resum: A l’antiga Grècia i Roma els epitalamis actuaven com a preludi eròtic de la nit nupcial. Claudià, a l’antiguitat tardana, va tractar el motiu del desflorament com a pugna amoris amb lasciu refinament. A partir del Quattrocento italià, l’Europa moderna va reprendre amb profusió aquesta tradició laudatòria d’erotisme estilitzat amb cants consagrats a la unió de les famílies il·lustres. El poeta barroc Francesc Fontanella (1622-1682/83) va compondre quatre magnífics epitalamis dedicats a les noces d’un enigmàtic personatge: el ‘galant Alba’. Diversos estudis han intentat, sense èxit, desvelar-ne la identitat. En aquestes composicions, Fontanella va emprar un llenguatge refinat i metafòric per descriure gradualment els estadis que porten a la unió carnal entesa com a lluita amorosa: els versos, rics en imatges florals i minerals, s’han de reconvertir al seu sentit concret a través d’una doble lectura. L’estudi inclou l’edició crítica dels textos i la contextualització del cicle dins del corpus epitalàmic europeu, així com una argumentació sobre la possible identitat dels protagonistes. Paraules clau: literatura catalana moderna; poesia barroca; epitalami; Francesc Fontanella Abstract: In ancient Greece and Rome, epithalamia acted as an erotic prelude to the wedding night. In Late Antiquity, Claudian explored the theme of deflowering as pugna amoris with lascivious refinement. As of 15th century Italian poets, modern Europe recommenced this laudatory tradition of stylised eroticism with songs devoted to the union of illustrious families. The Baroque poet Francesc Fontanella (1622-1682/3) composed four magnificent epithalamia dedicated to the wedding of an enigmatic character: ‘gallant Alba’, of whom several studies have tried, unsuccessfully, to reveal his identity. In these compositions, Fontanella employed refined, metaphorical language to gradually describe the stages of carnal union understood as a love battle: the verses, rich in floral and mineral imagery, must be transformed into their particular meaning through double reading. The study includes the critical edition of the texts and a contextualisation of the series within the European corpus of epithalamia, as well as an argument on the possible identity of the protagonists. Keywords: Early modern Catalan literature; Baroque poetry; epithalamium; Francesc Fontanella

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Learning by the book: manuals and handbooks in the history of science

BJHS Themes ◽

10.1017/bjt.2020.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Angela N.H. Creager ◽

Mathias Grote ◽

Elaine Leong

Keyword(s):

Early Modern ◽

History Of Science ◽

Book History ◽

Practical Knowledge ◽

Ancient Greece ◽

Early Modern Europe ◽

Medieval China ◽

History Of ◽

Modern Europe

AbstractThis essay offers an overview of how manuals and handbooks have contributed to the standardization, codification, transmission and revision of knowledge. These instructional and reference texts are distinct from related educational genres such as textbooks and editions due to their focus on practical knowledge. They are also notable for their appearance in diverse times and places, such as ancient Greece, early and medieval China and early modern Europe, as well as modern contexts worldwide. We are especially interested in the role of these often mundane texts in maintaining and resituating old knowledge, whose importance is discounted when scholars focus on innovation. Modern notions of authorship fit poorly with handbooks and manuals, which are generally derivative of other literature, though they often result in more commercially successful texts than their sources. This introduction draws on book history as well as history of science to offer a framework for the volume.

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The Decline and Fall of Spectacle

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199592081.013.32 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 193-206

Author(s):

Paul Milliman

Keyword(s):

Early Modern ◽

Middle Ages ◽

Late Antiquity ◽

Political Power ◽

Early Modern Europe ◽

Evolution And Development ◽

Modern Europe ◽

The Middle Ages

This article analyses the decline and fall of most forms of Roman spectacle in Late Antiquity, as the empire contracted in some places and collapsed in others. It explores the evolution and development of various other spectacles—especially equestrian games like tournaments, hunting, and palii—in Rome’s medieval and early modern Latin, Byzantine, and Islamic successor societies, which shared many of the characteristics of ancient spectacle in terms of function if not necessarily form. It also examines the privatization of public spectacle and sites of spectacle in the Middle Ages, as well as the enduring impact of the images of Roman spectacle—especially those associated with the hippodrome in Constantinople—as expressions of political power in medieval and early modern Europe.

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