Gesta Romanorum

Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum [jes′tə rō΄mə nôr′əm]
n.
ML, doings of the Romans
a 14th-cent. European collection of tales in Latin, used as a source of plots by Chaucer, Shakespeare, etc.

* * *

(Latin; "Deeds of the Romans")

Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, probably compiled in early 14th-century England.

Very popular in its time, it became a source for much later literature, including works by Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare. It contains stories from Classical history and legend and from various Asian and European sources, many about magicians and monsters, ladies in distress, and escapes from perilous situations, all unified by their moral purpose and realistic detail. Its author is unknown. Its didactic nature and the allegorical explanations attached to the stories in the early versions suggest that it was intended as a manual for preachers. It is likely that it was compiled in England.

* * *

English  Deeds of the Romans 

      Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, probably compiled early in the 14th century. It was one of the most popular books of the time and the source, directly or indirectly, of much later literature, including that of Chaucer, John Gower, Thomas Hoccleve, Shakespeare, and many others. Of its authorship nothing certain is known, but its didactic nature and the allegorical explanations attached to the stories in the early versions suggest that it was intended as a manual for preachers. It is likely that it was compiled in England.

      The title is only partially appropriate because it contains, in addition to stories from classical history and legend, many others from a variety of sources, Oriental and European in particular. The compiler's style is uneven; he apparently aimed to please and to edify. The collection is full of the sort of stories popular in the Middle Ages—tales of magicians and monsters, ladies in distress, escapes from perilous situations—all unified by their moral purpose and made real by details drawn from observation of nature and everyday life. Among its variety of material are found the germ of the romance of Guy of Warwick; the story of Darius and his three sons, versified by Hoccleve; part of Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale; and a tale of the emperor Theodosius, the same in its main features as that of King Lear. Shakespeare's Pericles probably was based on John Gower's version of a story about Apollonius of Tyre, derived from the collection, and the three-caskets plot in The Merchant of Venice is also thought to be based on a tale from the Gesta Romanorum. The tales formed part of the reading of children until the 18th century. The loose structure of the book made it possible for a transcriber to insert additional stories into his own copy, and therefore the manuscripts show considerable variety. The earliest printed editions were produced at Utrecht and Cologne, late in the 15th century; but their exact dates are unknown.

      Three English manuscript versions were made during the 15th century, two of them about 1440, the third later. This last, probably based directly on Harleian manuscript 5369 (British Museum), was published by Wynkyn de Worde about 1524; the only known copy is in the library of St. John's College, Cambridge. In 1577 Richard Robinson published a revised edition of de Worde, which proved extremely popular. The first volume, an English translation by B.P. (probably Bartholomew Pratt) “from the Latin edition of 1514” appeared in 1703.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gesta Romanorum — • A medieval collection of anecdotes, to which moral reflections are attached Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Gesta Romanorum     Gesta Romanorum      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Gesta Romanorum — a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th. It still possesses a two fold literary interest, first as one of the most popular books of the time, and secondly as …   Wikipedia

  • Gesta Romanorum — («Деяния Римские») знаменитый средневековый сборник поучительных рассказов, изложенных латинской прозой; составлен в XIV в. неизвестным автором или авторами; пользовался огромной популярностью и неоднократно пересказывался и на народных яз.… …   Литературная энциклопедия

  • Gesta Romanorum — (lat., »die Taten der Römer«, auch Gesta oder Historiae moralisatae, »moralisierende Geschichten«), Titel einer gegen Ende des Mittelalters vielverbreiteten Sammlung von kurzen Anekdoten, Sagen, Legenden und Märchen in lateinischer Sprache. Ihren …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Gesta Romanorum — (lat., die Thaten der Römer), lateinisches Märchen u. Legendenbuch des christlichen Mittelalters, enthaltend Erzählungen aus der Geschichte od. der Zeit der römischen Kaiser, in naivem, frommem Tone, wahrscheinlich im 12. od. 13. Jahrh. verfaßt… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Gesta Romanorum — Gesta Romanorum, heißen Sammlungen u. Bearbeitungen von Legenden, Sagen, Novellen, Fabeln, Anekdoten u. Parabeln, wie dieselben in der laut Lachmann um 1160 entstandenen Kaiserchronik u. in den 7 weisen Meistern vorkommen. Sie hängen mit den Acta …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Gesta Romanorum — [jes′tə rō΄mə nôr′əm] n. [ML, doings of the Romans] a 14th cent. European collection of tales in Latin, used as a source of plots by Chaucer, Shakespeare, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Gesta Romanorum — Lateinischer Druck der Gesta Romanorum: Inkunabel, gedruckt in Straßburg von Martin Schott, ca. 1486 (GW 10894);[1]Incipit Die Gesta Romanorum (deutsch: Die Taten der Römer) sind eine spätmittelalterliche Exempelsammlung, die seit der ersten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gesta Romanorum — Gẹsta Romanorum   [lateinisch »Taten der Römer«], eine anonyme, um 1300 in England oder Süddeutschland entstandene Sammlung von etwa 220 mittellateinische Kurzerzählungen, oft mit römischem Namen eingeleitet und stets mit moralischer Auslegung… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Gesta Romanorum — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”