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(Mis)Quoting Dante: Early Epic Intertextuality in Huon d’Auvergne

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Abstract

Huon d’Auvergne, a Franco-Italian chanson de geste dated from 1341 to 1441 in its manuscripts, is the first text known to incorporate Dante’s Commedia into its plot. The manuscripts, present in the Gonzaga library inventory as well as others, demonstrate the intertextuality of the late romance epic: a wandering hero on a personal mission encounters trials calling for physical and psychological prowess. However, the visit to hell is not just an imitation of Dante; the trip contains citations from Dante subtly revised and collocated according the redactor’s interest, punishing specifically those who did badly by his hero and those who betray the chanson de geste value system in which he writes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Loyola College in Maryland, 4501 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD, 21210-2699, USA

    Leslie Zarker Morgan

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  1. Leslie Zarker Morgan
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Correspondence to Leslie Zarker Morgan.

Additional information

A version of this paper was originally presented at the International Medieval Conference at the University of Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, May 10, 2007. I would like to thank the audience for their comments that helped clarify ideas and produce a better article, and W.W. Kibler whose kind and careful reading helped clarify ideas and terms. Errors and infelicities, of course, remain my own.

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Morgan, L.Z. (Mis)Quoting Dante: Early Epic Intertextuality in Huon d’Auvergne . Neophilologus 92, 577–599 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11061-008-9101-4

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