An English Translation of Rudolf von Ems’s Der guote Gêrhart
Albrecht Classen
Dec 2016 · Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Ebook
235
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
To expand our understanding of medieval literature in its wider context, there is a desperate need for more translations, since not every text in the Middle Ages was written in Latin, English, or French. Rudolf von Ems’s Der guote Gêrhart (ca. 1220) represents a major contribution to thirteenth-century German romance literature. The present English translation will allow those without knowledge of Middle High German to read and enjoy this significant composition and gain remarkable insights into a literary discourse that was to transform the late medieval canon. Rudolf’s work deserves particular attention because it includes remarkable examples of medieval multilingualism, tolerance, and multiculturality. The poet developed new aesthetic and ethical values, and presented an innovative relationship between a humble yet intelligent and compassionate individual and God by introducing, as his protagonist, a Cologne merchant, who supersedes even the Emperor Otto in his religious devotion, humbleness, and goodness. Finally, Der guote Gêrhart is clearly based on an eleventh-century Jewish narrative by Rabbi Nissim, though we cannot yet explain the lines of transmission from the Judeo-Arabic text to the Middle High German romance.
About the author
Dr Albrecht Classen is University Distinguished Professor of German Studies at the University of Arizona, USA, where he has researched and taught medieval and early modern German and European literature for nearly thirty years. His recent publications include the three-volume Handbook of Medieval Culture (2015), a The Forest in Medieval German Literature (2015), and Reading Medieval European Women Writers (2016). He is the editor of the journals Mediaevistik and Humanities Open Access.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
