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Vincent
Hunink text published in: Mnemosyne 58, 2005, 617-618
Several
useful editions of the poem are available, notably that of E.J. Kenney (Bristol
1984), but the new edition by Laudani (L.) is a welcome addition. L. presents
her readers with a sound Latin text, a facing Italian translation in prose
(rather curiously printed line for line, as if it were poetry), a commentary (47
pages), a separate body of extensive notes on the text (15 pages) and a rich
bibliography. The introduction (37 pages) deals with the structure of the poem,
the intentions of the poet, and the constitution of the text, while some special
attention is paid to the reception of the poem in Italian literature. According
to L., the poet wishes to present a realistic view of country life and poverty,
as a reaction to some more idealised views in Roman poetry. L. even suggests
that the poet describes a reality he knew from personal experience (p.14-15). In
terms of literary theory, this seems dangerously close to a biographical
approach. Perhaps accordingly, the notion of parody, that almost imposes itself
on a modern reader of the poem, is rather downplayed: although the poet=s
words are interpreted as a literary game, it appears to be a rather serious game
with only little room for irony and wit. To give a telling example: in line 84
Simulus is said to eat lots of rocket, a herb well-known for its qualities as an
aphrodisiac. One might explain this as a humourous allusion to Simulus=
rich sexual life (his female servant Scybale is mentioned repeatedly), but L.
tersely remarks that the herb may rather be part of Simulus=
diet simply because it was easy to find. Earlier in the poem, Simulus wakes up
in the dark and blindly reaches out in search of the hearth, laesus quem
denique sentit (7). L.makes laesus rather prosaically refer to
Simulus=
burning his hand at the hot hearth. However, the humour of the scene might be
that the poor farmer, as a proper anti-hero, bumps into a chair or stumbles over
some other object before achieving his goal. L.=s
sense of irony may be not very outspoken in this book, her notes are, on the
whole, informative and to the point, serving to explain the text rather than to
illustrate the editor=s
erudition. Many difficult turns in the text are briefly explained, while Realien
of country life are duly clarified. This is of great help to the reader of the
Latin poem. Matters of textual criticism are dealt with in another set of notes
distinct from the explanatory and interpretative notes. Here, L. takes a >conservative=
stand, defending readings of the MSS rather than conjectures, even where they
are accepted by many. For example, she defends fumus in line 8, dictas
in 97, and vestem in 9, instead of the more commonly accepted conjectures
at those instances. The
new commentary will surely not be the last word about the interesting poem that
is the Moretum. Notably its playful, literary qualities allow for some
further research. But L. has certainly produced a helpful edition of the poem
that will be of practical use to anyone who wishes to read it. The book can be
recommended for both institutional and private libraries. latest changes
here: 30-07-2012 16:01
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