Medieval Mythography, Volume 1: From Roman North Africa to the School of Chartres, A.D. 433-1177 (v. 1) [Hardcover]

Jane Chance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 1994 | Series: Medieval Mythography (Book 1)

The mythic world of Juno, Jupiter's consort, is one of flesh and begetting, of suffering and death, and of poetry itself. Exploring the relationship between that realm of the classical gods and the sphere of medieval mythographers, Jane Chance illuminates the efforts of medieval writers to understand human existence and the forces of nature in relation to Christian truth.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

"Fascinating as an exercise in mapping out a major current in the Western intellectual tradition. . . . Brilliant in its ability to make extremely complex ideas comprehensible."--Julian Wasserman, Loyola University in New Orleans

"A singular contribution to humane scholarship;  it represents the most coherent and inclusive attempt to account for the reception of classical myth from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries."--J. Stephen Russell, Hofstra University

The mythic world of Juno, Jupiter's consort, is one of flesh and begetting, of suffering and death, and of poetry itself. Exploring the relationship between that realm of the classical gods and the sphere of medieval mythographers, Jane Chance illuminates the efforts of medieval writers to understand human existence and the forces of nature in relation to Christian truth.
 The first of two books that together will trace the history of medieval mythography from the fifth through the fifteenth centuries, this monumental volume will be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with survival of the classics and for everyone interested in medieval ideas about mythological figures.
  Aeneas traveling to the Underworld to seek his father's advice, Orpheus seeking his lost Eurydice, Hercules braving Cerberus or Hydra--Chance analyzes the ways in which these heroes became models for the Christian seeking wisdom, love, and salvation. She tracks the evolving meanings of Cupid's quiver, Bacchus's fan, and the asp whose bite sent Eurydice to Hades, making accessible a huge body of work that has often seemed too abstruse for even a sophisticated medievalist.
 Chance also sheds light on the mythographers' complex textual use of Juno (whom she calls the "pagan Virgin Mary"); she contends that the mythographers' empowerment of pagan heroes and goddesses is evidence of their feminization of church traditions.
 The book's chronological organization permits easy access to information on influences and schools and conveys a strong sense of how the commentaries reflect their historical and intellectual setting.  The book is richly illustrated with thirty-one photographs of medieval manuscript pages depicting the mythographers' Christianized classical gods and heroes.

Publication of this book made possible in part by a grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

About the Author

Jane Chance is professor of English at Rice University.  She is the author or editor of many of works in the field of medieval studies, most recently The Mythographic Art: Classical Fable and the Rise of the Vernacular in Early France and England UPF, 1990) and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power, and she serves as series editor for the Focus Library on Medieval Women.

Publication of this book made possible in part by a grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 761 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; First edition (July 20, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813012562
• ISBN-13: 978-0813012568
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,931,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Chance, the Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Chair in English at Rice University, has taught medieval literature for forty years, first, at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, after receiving her Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois in 1971, and then at Rice University, beginning in 1973. Former first President and founder of the Consortium for the Teaching of the Middle Ages, Inc., Chance has published twenty-one books and nearly a hundred articles and book reviews, on mythography and the Latin influence on medieval literary culture, Old and Middle English literature, Chaucer, medieval women, and modern medievalism (Tolkien in particular). Winner of many awards and national fellowships, she has edited three book series, most recently the Praeger Series on the Middle Ages, and served as Vice President of the Texas Faculty Association. She serves on several editorial boards, including those for PMLA and postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies.

Jane Chance lives in Galveston and pursues her interests in photography and historic architecture. She lives in a house built by Sam Houston's great nephew, Major Samuel Moore Penfield, which has been awarded Landmark status by the city of Galveston and the Texas Historic Commission. She won the Galveston Historic Foundation award for historical preservation in the construction of her new garage.