Literary Transvaluation

Literary Transvaluation: From Vergilian Epic to Shakespearean Tragicomedy is a meticulous exploration of literary influence, focusing on how Shakespeare's works, especially Antony and Cleopatra, engage in a profound reimagining of Vergil’s Aeneid. The book introduces the concept of “transvaluation,” describing how later authors consciously reinterpret and transform the values of antecedent texts to align with new cultural and historical contexts. Through detailed analysis, the author traces this process from the epic tradition of Vergil through significant literary milestones like Augustine’s Confessions, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. These works reinterpret the Aeneid's themes of duty, love, and civilization, reflecting a dynamic dialogue between classical constraints and the expressive freedom of Renaissance creativity.

The study culminates in an examination of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra as a pinnacle of this transvaluative tradition. By blending elements of epic, tragedy, and romance, Shakespeare redefines Vergilian themes of heroism and eros, creating a “discordia concors” that transcends the tragic framework of the Aeneid. The book also connects these reinterpretations to broader cultural movements, such as the Renaissance emphasis on human creativity and the evolving role of the artist as a historical agent. A final analysis of The Tempest extends this exploration, illustrating how the legacy of classical texts transforms into a myth of artistic and psychological creation in later works. Through its nuanced investigation, the book offers profound insights into the continuity and evolution of literary traditions.

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 1984.