The Gallican Saint's Life And The Late Roman Dramatic Tradition
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Good. Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Binding condition: Binding intact, pages secure.
At the crossroads of late antiquity and early medieval Christianity, The Gallican Saint's Life and the Late Roman Dramatic Tradition presents a rigorous scholarly examination of the literary and performative roots of hagiographic writing in Gaul. E. Catherine Dunn argues that the saint's life — far from being a purely devotional genre — inherited structural and rhetorical conventions directly from the dramatic traditions of the late Roman world, tracing a compelling lineage from pagan theatrical forms to Christian narrative. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, Dunn illustrates how early medieval authors consciously shaped sacred biography according to dramatic principles of conflict, spectacle, and resolution, revealing the saint's life as a sophisticated literary form rather than mere piety. This meticulously researched study sits at the intersection of classical philology, medieval studies, and religious history, offering scholars a re-evaluation of how Roman cultural forms survived and transformed in the Christian West. Dunn's authoritative prose and command of the Latin sources make this an indispensable work for anyone interested in the continuity of classical culture through the early Middle Ages — and the enduring question of how ancient theatrical traditions shaped the way Christianity told its most sacred stories.
Author: E. Catherine Dunn
Format: Hardback
Published: 1989, The Catholic University of America Press
Genre: Literary theory
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Good. Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Binding condition: Binding intact, pages secure.
At the crossroads of late antiquity and early medieval Christianity, The Gallican Saint's Life and the Late Roman Dramatic Tradition presents a rigorous scholarly examination of the literary and performative roots of hagiographic writing in Gaul. E. Catherine Dunn argues that the saint's life — far from being a purely devotional genre — inherited structural and rhetorical conventions directly from the dramatic traditions of the late Roman world, tracing a compelling lineage from pagan theatrical forms to Christian narrative. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, Dunn illustrates how early medieval authors consciously shaped sacred biography according to dramatic principles of conflict, spectacle, and resolution, revealing the saint's life as a sophisticated literary form rather than mere piety. This meticulously researched study sits at the intersection of classical philology, medieval studies, and religious history, offering scholars a re-evaluation of how Roman cultural forms survived and transformed in the Christian West. Dunn's authoritative prose and command of the Latin sources make this an indispensable work for anyone interested in the continuity of classical culture through the early Middle Ages — and the enduring question of how ancient theatrical traditions shaped the way Christianity told its most sacred stories.