Modes of Analogy in Ancient and Medieval Verse

Modes of Analogy in Ancient and Medieval Verse delves into the evolution of poetic conventions, focusing on how established tropes in ancient and medieval literature were reimagined to meet shifting intellectual and rhetorical demands. Drawing on R. P. Blackmur's idea of "translation" in literary history, the book examines the transformation of three key devices: the Homeric long simile, the personified landscapes of Roman pastoral, and the nature parallelism in medieval love lyrics. By exploring classic examples of these tropes and contrasting them with later iterations, the author illuminates how changes in cultural and conceptual frameworks reshaped the analogical functions of natural imagery in poetry.

Rather than providing a broad historical survey, the book adopts a focused approach, analyzing a select number of pivotal texts to uncover the nuanced stylistic shifts within these conventions. Inspired by Erich Auerbach’s method in Mimesis, the author treats these texts as "test cases" to trace the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation in poetic expression. Through its critical exploration of these transformations, Modes of Analogy in Ancient and Medieval Verse offers a compelling study of how poets navigated the tension between inherited forms and evolving imaginative needs, enriching our understanding of literary continuity and change.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1961.