LFU:online

Students reflect on the continuum of classical and post-antique Latinity. They deepen the competences to translate and interpret a post-antique text. They acquire basic knowledge in early modern hagiography and distinguish its forms and components. They are able to contextualise exemplary texts within the religious, political, and cultural context. They understand the religious and political significance of ‘sanctity’ for early modern culture. They become familiar with the material aspects of early modern literature and its transmission.

Even after the Council of Trent, which consolidated the veneration of saints in the Catholic Church, hagiographic writing enjoyed great popularity. Starting from the concept of early modern ‘sanctity’, the course will offer an overview of the most important forms of early modern hagiography on selected figures of blessed and saints that were crucial for early modern religiosity. Although the focus lies on literary sources, artistic forms and the text-image relationship will also be considered. The source texts will be discussed on the basis of excerpts from the digitised original editions (as far as available), thus the art of dealing with the material carriers of the texts in question will be practised.

Commented reading and translation of selected text fragments. The course will be held primarily in German; if necessary, also in English.

Active participation in the classes (translation and discussion of the texts to be prepared); exam – commented translation of a short Latin text on a figure known from the course (oral or written, depending on the number of participants).

Copies of the source texts to be discussed and, if applicable, references to further research papers on individual figures will be provided by the instructor in due time.

Copies of the source texts to be discussed and, if applicable, references to the in-depth research papers on individual figures will be provided by the course instructor in good time