"TRANSLATIO STUDII" U POETICI SREDNJOVJEKOVNOG ANTIČKOG ROMANA
THE MOTIF OF "TRANSLATIO STUDII" IN THE POETRY OF MEDIEVAL ANTIQUE ROMANCES

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the literary motif of the political power transfer (translatio imperii), with a particular emphasis on the East-to-West transfer of civilizational achievements and culture (translatio studii) of the antique period within the context of the medieval French monarchy. Namely, the transfer of the entire sum of knowledge and cultural progress of the classical antiquities is present as a dynamic motif in theϐirst Old French romances. Formally more diverse and thematically richer than their predecessor, the epic poem The Romance of Troy, the Romance of Eneas and the Romance of Thebes, alongside the Romance of Alexander,are a triad of romances of antiquity composed on the threshold of the12th century in the territory of medieval France. As translations/adaptations of ancient masterpieces, these romances are analysed as upholding the tradition and classical authorities .Additionally, the paper discusses how the authors, by making references to antique authorities, confirm the new aesthetic value and truthfulness of their own (fictional) work. Furthermore, particular attention is paid to the motifs of topos and transfer present in the romances’ prologues which are the places of metaliterary and rudimentary theoretic contemplations about the author/translator and writing itself.

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