Wisdom, Authority and Grammar in the Seventh Century - Decoding Virgilius Maro Grammaticus (Hardcover, New)

The works of the seventh-century writer Virgilius Maro Grammaticus are among the most puzzling medieval texts to survive. Ostensibly a pair of grammars, they swarm with hymns, riddles, invented words and imaginary writers. Conventionally interpreted either as a benighted barbarian's unfortunate attempt to write a 'proper' grammar, or as a parody of the pedantic excesses of the ancient grammatical tradition, these texts have long been in need of an alternative reading. Why should a grammarian attack the very notion of authority, thereby destabilizing his own position? The search for an answer leads us via patristic exegesis and medieval wisdom literature to the tantalizingly ill-documented reaches of heterodox initiatory traditions. Vivien Law's book opens important new perspectives on the intellectual life of the early Middle Ages and on the decoding of medieval literature in general.

General

Imprint:	Cambridge UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	March 1995
First published:	1995
Authors:	Vivien Law
Dimensions:	216 x 140 x 14mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	182
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-521-47113-8
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > General Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > Classical, early & medieval
LSN:	0-521-47113-3
Barcode:	9780521471138

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!