Medieval Mythography, Volume 3: The Emergence of Italian Humanism, 1321-1475

699 Pages·2015·99.75 MB·English

by  Jane Chance

medieval mythography, volume 3
university press of florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
Also by Jane Chance
Medieval Mythography, Volume 1: From Roman North Africa to the
School of Chartres, a.d. 433–1177
Medieval Mythography, Volume 2: From the School of Chartres to the
Court at Avignon, 1177–1350
Medieval Mythography
volume 3
the emergence of italian
humanism, 1321–1475
jane chance
university press of florida
gainesville / tallahassee / tampa / boca raton
pensacola / orlando / miami / jacksonville /
ft. myers / sarasota
Copyright 2015 by Jane Chance
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
This book may be available in an electronic edition.
20 19 18 17 16 15 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Library of Congress has catalogued volume 1 as follows:
Chance, Jane, 1945–
Medieval mythography: from Roman North Africa to the School of Chartres,
a.d. 433–1177 / Jane Chance.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical reference (p. ) and index.
isbn 0-8130-1256-2 (alk. paper)
1. Latin literature—Criticism and interpretation—History. 2. Civilization,
Medieval—Classical influences. 3. Literature, Medieval—Roman influences.
4. Mythology, Classical—in literature. 5. Criticism, Medieval—History.
6. Mythology—Historiography. 7. École de Chartres. I. Title.
PA6029.R4C48 1994
870.9'002—dc20 93-42805
Volume 3 isbn: 978-0-8130-6012-5
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency
for the State University System of Florida, comprising Florida
A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast
University, Florida International University, Florida State
University, New College of Florida, University of Central
Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
contents
Illustrations vii
Tables xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Abbreviations and Citation Editions xix
Chronology of Medieval Mythographers and
Commentary Authors xxv
Introduction 1
Chapter One. Toward a Subjective Mythography:
Allegorical Figurae and Authorial Self-Projection 17
Chapter Two. Dante’s Self-Mythography: The Inverted Ovid
“Commentary” of the Commedia (1321) and Its Family Glosses 39
I. A Preface to Dante: His Sons’ Glosses and His Medieval Commen-
tary Authors (Inferno, Cantos 1–4) 47
II. Ovidian Inglossation (Inferno, Cantos 3–27) 71
III. Pilgrim Dante Metamorphosed (Inferno, Cantos 28–34) 90
Chapter Three. “Iohannes de Certaldo”: Self-Validation in
Boccaccio’s “Genealogies of the Gods” (ca. 1350–75) 126
I. The Allegoria Mitologica (1332–34) of Naples: Boccaccio’s
Personalized Ovid 138
II. The Genealogie Deorum Gentilium: Boccaccio’s Quest for Authority
in Epic Mythography 144
III. At Certaldo: Boccaccio’s Unfinished Commentary on Dante
(1373–74) 196
Chapter Four. Franco-Italian Christine de Pizan’s Epistre Othea
(1399–1401): A Feminized Commentary on Ovid 206
I. Christine de Pizan Anti-Rose: Évrart de Conty and Finding a Female
Voice 212
II. Righting the Rose: The Othea’s Moralized and
Christianized Ovid 244
III. Othea, Minerva, and Other Mythological Women:
Humanizing Ovid 258
vi contents
Chapter Five. Christine de Pizan’s Illuminated Women in the Cité des
Dames (1405) 272
I. From Othea and Proba to “Je, Cristine,” Une Clere Femme 281
II. Reading Boccaccio: Learned Women, Sibyls, and
“Women Made Famous by Coincidence” 299
III. Arms and the Woman: Honorat Bovet, Jean de Meun, and
Minerva in Le Livre des Fais d’Armes et de Chevalerie (1410) 352
Chapter Six. Coluccio Salutati’s Hercules as Vir Perfectus: Justifying
Seneca’s Hercules Furens in De Laboribus Herculis (1378?–1405) 363
I. Reading Senecan Tragedies: The Origins of Salutati’s
De Laboribus Herculis 371
II. Aeneas’s Failed Descent into Virgil’s Underworld:
The Pythagorean Y 374
III. The Influential Boethian Descents: Hercules versus Orpheus,
Ulysses, and Amphiaraus 382
Chapter Seven. Cristoforo Landino’s “Judgment of Aeneas”
in the Disputationes Camaldulenses (1475) 396
I. Petrarch’s Neoplatonic Aeneas, Vir Perfectus 398
II. Landino’s Medievalized Aeneas and the Three Goddesses 405
Conclusion 420
Notes 425
Bibliography 539
Index 613
illustrations
1. Christine de Pizan presents the “Epistre Othea” to the dauphin.
Christine de Pizan, “Epistre Othea,” frontispiece 9
2. The goddess Othea presents her letter to youthful Trojan prince
Hector. Christine de Pizan, “Epistre Othea” 10
3. Christine de Pizan presents her anthology manuscript to Queen
Isabeau of Bavaria, her ladies seated around her. Christine de Pizan,
Queen’s Manuscript, frontispiece 11
4. The Four Ages of Time: Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Clay, with
Justice departed. From Ovid, “Metamorphoses,” book 1, French
translation 28
5. Dante and Virgil in the Wood of the Suicides. Dante, “Inferno” 13.
“Divina comedia” (with the Ottimo commento) 43
6. Dante meets Cacciaguida. Dante, “Paradiso” 15. “Divina comedia”
(with the Ottimo commento) 44
7. Dante encounters and (along with Virgil) is transported by the
monster Geryon; he meets the first fraudulent sinners. Dante,
“Inferno” 8. “Divina comedia” (with the Ottimo commento) 46
8. Dante and the Centaur Cacus. Dante, “Inferno” 25. “Divina
comedia” (with the Ottimo commento) 89
9. Dante invokes Apollo and imagines himself as a laureate through
Marsyas, stripped of his skin by God and used as his scabbard. Dante,
“Paradiso” 1. “Divina comedia” (with the Ottimo commento) 90
10. Bertran dal Bornio (Bertran de Born) swinging his head and Dante
with the schismatics. Dante, “Inferno” 28. “Divina comedia” (with
the Ottimo commento) 92
11. The death of Polyxena at the top of the page; the death of Hecuba at
the bottom. “Histoire ancienne jusqu’a César,” part 3 of the second
redaction 94
12. Hecuba witnessing the deaths of Priam and her children. Boccaccio,
“Des femmes nobles et renommees” 112
viii illustrations
13. Author Giovanni Boccaccio reads to the queen and her ladies.
Boccaccio, “Des claires et nobles femmes” 134
14. Monk Boccaccio and Fortune. Boccaccio, “De casibus virorum
illustrium” 136
15. The Lover takes the rose/woman named Rose—both object and
woman. Jean de Meun, “Le Roman de la Rose” 216
16. Author Évrart de Conty and Mercury at the gate to Nature’s garden,
with its three goddesses Pallas, Juno, and Venus. Évrart de Conty,
“Eschecs amoureux moralisés” 241
17. Reason, Rectitude, and Justice appear to Christine de Pizan; Reason
aids her in building the foundation of the City of Ladies. Christine de
Pizan, “Cité des Dames,” frontispiece to book 1 275
18. Lady Rectitude welcomes righteous women into the castle, its walls
and towers now visible. Christine de Pizan, “Cité des Dames,”
frontispiece, book 2 276
19. Lady Justice and the wise and righteous inhabitants welcome the just
to the castle, its roofs now completed. Christine de Pizan, “Cité des
Dames,” frontispiece, book 3 276
20. Creation of Eve. French translation of Orosius, “Histoire
universelle” 320
21. Temptation of Eve by the serpent. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles
et renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 320
22. Semiramis, queen of Assyria and Babylonia, holding a sword, with
son Ninus. French translation of Orosius, “Histoire universelle” 323
23. Semiramis with Ninyas. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et
renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 323
24. Amazons jousting. French translation of Orosius, “Histoire
universelle” 326
25. Early Amazons Marpasia and Lampeto. Boccaccio, “Des cleres
femmes.” Trans. Laurent de Premierfait 327
26. Amazons Marpasia and Lampeto. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et
renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 327
27. Ortygia and Antiope, the first Amazon queens. Boccaccio, “Des cleres
femmes.” Trans. Laurent de Premierfait 329
28. Ortygia, daughter of Marpesia, jousts astride and in a dress.
Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et renommees.” Anonymous French
trans., 1402 329
illustrations i
29. Opis (Othea), queen of Crete. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et
renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 336
30. Almathea, Sibyl of Cumae. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et
renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 340
31. Sibyl of Cumae converting Caesar Augustus to Christianity. Christine
de Pizan, “L’epistre d’Othea la deese” 341
32. Sibyl of Cumae converting Caesar Augustus to Christianity. “Ovide
intitule Metamorphose contenant xv livres” 341
33. Juno, goddess of childbirth. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et
renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 344
34. Juno, goddess of childbirth. Boccaccio, “Des cleres femmes.” Trans.
Laurent de Premierfait 344
35. Europa, with a bull on the ship’s flag. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles
et renommees.” Anonymous French trans., 1402 346
36. Europa, with bull-like men from the ship. Boccaccio, “Des cleres
femmes.” Trans. Laurent de Premierfait 346
37. Pregnant Europa enthroned with Jupiter. “Moralized Ovid” 348
38. Medusa. Boccaccio, “Des femmes nobles et renommees.” Anonymous
French trans., 1402 351
39. Inside her house, Christine de Pizan writes about chivalry while
gazing outside at Minerva, maker of armor from Magna Graecia in
Calabria. Christine de Pizan, “Fais d’armes” 358
40. In bed, Christine de Pizan envisions Bovet. Christine de Pizan, “Fais
d’armes” 360
41. Hercules rescuing Theseus and Pirithous from Cerberus in the
underworld. Christine de Pizan, “Epistre Othea” 385
42. The twelve Labors of Hercules. Reconfigured facsimile cover of
Enrique de Villena (Henry of Aragon), Los doze trabajos de ercules
compilados par dan enrique de Villena (1499), bordered by a 1520s
Cologne woodcut print of Herodotus 392
43. Frontispiece for Virgil’s “Aeneid”: the threat of war. Virgil, Works.
French translation by Florius Infortunatus in Paris 403
44. Dido directs Sychaeus’s treasure to be loaded onto her ships. Laurent
de Premierfait’s French translation of Boccaccio’s “De casibus virorum
illustrium” 412