Hybrid forms: translating Boethius in Anglo-Saxon England
Erica Weaver
Abstract Critics have long wondered about the setting and intent of Old English translation Boethius's De consolatione philosophiae , first into prose then prosimetrum. This article situates dual within broader context ninth- tenth-century literary culture, challenging received view two versions as separate projects arguing instead that Boethius was conceived a vernacular opus geminatum or ‘twinned work’. While prosimetrum are generally thought to maintain distinct generic identities, this case study allows for more capacious understanding both modes, which I demonstrate were inescapably linked in Anglo-Saxon circles – shaped by aesthetic prose-verse mixture.
Anglo-Saxon England|eScholarship University of California (University of California)