Caxton's Golden Legend
Oxford University Press
Published on 30. July 2020
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-19-886796-8 (ISBN)
Description
This is volume I of the first scholarly edition of the Golden Legend, the largest and most elaborate production of the first printer in English, William Caxton. It is an English translation of Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea (ca. 1267), a collection of legends for the feasts of saints (the Sanctorale) and other major days of the liturgical year (the Temporale). The Legenda aurea was one of the most popular and influential books in the later medieval Western world; it circulated widely, and was repeatedly translated into many vernacular languages. This volume reproduces Caxton's original text of the Temporale with modern punctuation and capitalization, notes on content, syntax and lexis, a detailed glossary, and an index of proper names.
Caxton's complex combination of sources is given particular attention: the principal one was a little-known reworking of the French translation made by Jean de Vignay, but he also used the Latin original and a previous English translation, the Gilte Legende, and made some personal additions. The Introduction considers the structure of the entire book that Caxton created, but focuses on the Temporale and the set of Old Testament legends that will follow in volume 2. It discusses their sources and language, highlighting the differences between the first two volumes and the notable number of new words and senses. It also gives a detailed bibliographic account of this printing in its historical context and descriptions of all surviving copies.
Caxton's complex combination of sources is given particular attention: the principal one was a little-known reworking of the French translation made by Jean de Vignay, but he also used the Latin original and a previous English translation, the Gilte Legende, and made some personal additions. The Introduction considers the structure of the entire book that Caxton created, but focuses on the Temporale and the set of Old Testament legends that will follow in volume 2. It discusses their sources and language, highlighting the differences between the first two volumes and the notable number of new words and senses. It also gives a detailed bibliographic account of this printing in its historical context and descriptions of all surviving copies.
Reviews / Votes
This edition of Caxton's Golden Legend promises to shed more light on the exact sources he used and the ways he adapted them. * Sherry L. Reames, Speculum *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
567 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-886796-8 (9780198867968)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mayumi Taguchi is a Professor at Osaka Sangyo University; she has been involved with several editorial projects on late medieval devotional texts.
John Scahill was formerly a Professor of English at Keio University, Tokyo.
Satoko Tokunaga is Associate Professor of English at Keio University and the Hon. Secretary for Japan of the Bibliographical Society.
John Scahill was formerly a Professor of English at Keio University, Tokyo.
Satoko Tokunaga is Associate Professor of English at Keio University and the Hon. Secretary for Japan of the Bibliographical Society.
Editor
Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Osaka Sangyo University, Japan
English Language Teacher, Insearch, Univeristy of Technology Sydney
Associate Professor, Keio University
Content
INTRODUCTION I: Caxton's Golden Legend and its Sources II: Language III: Printings of the Golden Legend IV: Edition Description V: Copy Descriptions VI: Editorial Procedures Select Bibliography CAXTON'S GOLDEN LEGEND 1: Advent 2: Nativity 3: Circumcision 4: Epiphany 5: Septuagesima 6: Sexagesima 7: Quinquagesima 8: Quadragesima 9: Ember Days 10: Passion 11: Resurrection 12: Litanies 13: Ascension 14: Pentecost 15: Corpus Christi 16: Dedication of the Church Appendix Notes on the Text Glossary