One of the most popular mirrors for princes, Christine de Pizan's Epistre Othea (Letter of Othea) circulated widely in England. Speaking through Othea, the goddess of wisdom and prudence, in the guise of instructing Hector of Troy, Christine advises rulers, defends women against misogyny, and articulates complex philosophical and theological ideals. This volume brings together for the first time two fifteenth-century medieval English translations, Stephen Scrope's precise translation The Epistle of Othea and the anonymous Lytle Bibell of Knyghthod, once criticized as a flawed translation. With substantial introductions and comprehensive explanatory notes that attend to literary and manuscript traditions, this volume contributes to the reassessment of how each English translator grappled with adapting a French woman's text (which itself borrows from a long tradition of conduct manuals in Latin and French) to English social, political, and literary contexts.
ISBN: | 9781580443852 |
Publication date: | 25th September 2020 |
Author: | Christine |
Publisher: | Medieval Institute Publications an imprint of Medieval Institute Publications (Western Michigan University) |
Format: | Paperback |
Pagination: | 504 pages |
Series: | TEAMS Middle English Texts Series |
Genres: |
Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval |