The Aeneid and the illusory authoress : truth, fiction and feminism in HĂ©lisenne de Crenneâs Eneydes
In 1541, writing under the pseudonym HĂ©lisenne de Crenne, the French noblewoman Marguerite Briet produced a translation of the first four books of Virgilâs Aeneid that remains largely unknown. As a female author, HĂ©lisenne provides a sixteenth-century womanâs perspective on the Aeneid, an on classical literature more generally, and the uniqueness of her translation in this respect makes her work extremely significant, particularly given the relatively recent interest in women and other marginal voices within the field of classics. This thesis contributes to an understanding of the need for a holistic approach to Classical Reception Studies, through a thorough examination of HĂ©lisenneâs translation not only with regard to her gender but also the social, historical and literary climate in which she writes. Focussing on the mise en livre, as well as the text, my approach also stresses the need to reevaluate the relationship between the author and the text that we often assume in classics is more direct than is actually the case. Through such an examination of her Eneydes, HĂ©lisenne emerges as a serious participant in the humanist tradition who engages with classical literature in such a way as to question
Marshall, Sharon Margaret
Virgil ; Helisenne de Crenne ; Aeneid ; Renaissance France ; Translation ; Women writers
The Aeneid and the illusory authoress : truth, fiction and feminism in HĂ©lisenne de Crenneâs Eneydes. In 1541, writing under the pseudonym HĂ©lisenne de Crenne, the French noblewoman Marguerite Briet produced a translation of the first four books of Virgilâs Aeneid that remains largely unknown. As a female author, HĂ©lisenne provides a sixteenth-century womanâs perspective on the Aeneid, an on classical literature more generally, and the uniqueness of her translation in this respect makes her work extremely significant, particularly given the relatively recent interest in women and other marginal voices within the field of classics. This thesis contributes to an understanding of the need for a holistic approach to Classical Reception Studies, through a thorough examination of HĂ©lisenneâs translation not only with regard to her gender but also the social, historical and literary climate in which she writes. Focussing on the mise en livre, as well as the text, my approach also stresses the need to reevaluate the relationship between the author and the text that we often assume in classics is more direct than is actually the case. Through such an examination of her Eneydes, HĂ©lisenne emerges as a serious participant in the humanist tradition who engages with classical literature in such a way as to question
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