John Ridewall's Fulgencius metaforalis is a moralising commentary on Fulgentius's sixth-century Mitologiae, an introduction to the classical gods and their stories. Composed in Oxford in the 1330s and subject to almost immediate local (and broader English) use, the work was a pan-European success, and more than 100 manuscripts preserve Ridewall's text in some form. Fulgencius metaforalis has been edited before, nearly a century ago, by a great medievalist, Hans Liebeschütz; he, however, did not recognise that the manuscript he presented was a fragment, containing only about one-third of the whole. This volume provides Ridewall's entire text, as usually communicated, with a translation. In addition, it contains a substantial introduction; this outlines various difficulties in the transmission of Fulgencius and evidence for the work's extensive medieval reception. Annotation to the text identifies and indexes Ridewall's sources - most of his mythographic knowledge reflects either Remigius of Auxerre's commentary on Martianus Capella or the Third Vatican Mythographer; and offers one manuscript tabula/index, useful for seeing how readers may have accessed the work piecemeal (by manuscript consultation, not, as frequently claimed, as a set of 'memory diagrams').
| ISBN: | 9781836245209 |
| Publication date: | 3rd October 2025 |
| Author: | Joannes Ridevallus, Joannes Ridevallus |
| Publisher: | Liverpool University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 464 pages |
| Series: | Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies |
| Genres: |
Ancient, classical and medieval texts Ancient Greek religion and mythology Roman religion and mythology Literature: history and criticism |
John Ridewall's Fulgencius metaforalis is a moralising commentary on Fulgentius's sixth-century Mitologiae, an introduction to the classical gods and their stories. Composed in Oxford in the 1330s and subject to almost immediate local (and broader English) use, the work was a pan-European success, and more than 100 manuscripts preserve Ridewall's text in some form. Fulgencius metaforalis has been edited before, nearly a century ago, by a great medievalist, Hans Liebeschütz; he, however, did not recognise that the manuscript he presented was a fragment, containing only about one-third of the whole. This volume provides Ridewall's entire text, as usually communicated, with a translation. In addition, it contains a substantial introduction; this outlines various difficulties in the transmission of Fulgencius and evidence for the work's extensive medieval reception. Annotation to the text identifies and indexes Ridewall's sources - most of his mythographic knowledge reflects either Remigius of Auxerre's commentary on Martianus Capella or the Third Vatican Mythographer; and offers one manuscript tabula/index, useful for seeing how readers may have accessed the work piecemeal (by manuscript consultation, not, as frequently claimed, as a set of 'memory diagrams').
John Ridewall, Fulgentius Metaforalis features in the following genres: Ancient, classical and medieval texts, Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Roman religion and mythology, Literature: history and criticism
John Ridewall, Fulgentius Metaforalis is available in Paperback, Hardback
John Ridewall, Fulgentius Metaforalis was written by Joannes Ridevallus, Joannes Ridevallus and published by Liverpool University Press
John Ridewall, Fulgentius Metaforalis has 464 pages
Yes it is part of Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies series