Papers by Blaž Božič
Keria: Studia Latina et Graeca, 2022
Attraction beyond the Grave and the Snake as Guardian of Virginity: Reflections about the Erotic ... more Attraction beyond the Grave and the Snake as Guardian of Virginity: Reflections about the Erotic Imagery in the Morrheus and Chalcomedeia Episode from Nonnos’ Dionysiaca
The paper attempts to summarise reflections about the elements characterising the erotic imagery of the Morrheus and Chalcomedeia episode from Nonnos’ epic Dionysiaca. The elements under discussion are the motif of the snake as guardian of virginity and the motif of necrophilia. The beginning outlines the structure of the two motifs in the light of Nonnos’ proleptic poetics. The snake motif is to be interpreted as tripartite (prefiguration in Book 15, prophecy in Book 33 and the key scene in Book 35) and the necrophilia motif as bipartite (prefiguration and the key scene in Book 35). According to an assumption formed in earlier research, even the necrophilia scene is in fact a prefiguration (of Morrheus). This assumption is rendered credible by the similarity of the characters (an anonymous warrior, anonymity as a feature of the type) and by the structure of the poem. In order to read the scene as a prefiguration, however, it is pragmatically necessary to presuppose the reader’s familiarity with the Callimachus and Drusiana episode from the Acts of John, a text which – as revealed in earlier research – certainly forms an intertext to the Nonnian episode. I read the snake motif in terms of content and symbol as a typical example of Nonnos’ literary synthesis of classical and Christian elements: the role of the snake as guardian at the entrance into the holy precinct is part of the classical tradition, while the idealisation of virginity and purity stems from the Christian context. The metaphors implied in this reading are the perception of the female body as (a) holy (precinct) and of the genitals as an entrance guarded by a snake, and on the other hand – considering the chthonic nature of the snake – the perception of the human body as an earthy element in contrast to the soul, which is associated with the celestial element.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Primerjalna Knjizevnost, Nov 7, 2022
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Keria: Studia Latina et Graeca , 2021
Der vorliegende Beitrag versucht zwei zentrale Problembereiche zu erfassen, die sich aus der Betr... more Der vorliegende Beitrag versucht zwei zentrale Problembereiche zu erfassen, die sich aus der Betrachtung des Werkes des spätantiken Dichters Flavius Dioscorus bzw. Dioscorus aus Aphrodito aus dem 6. Jahrhundert nach Christus ergeben. Als Ausgangspukt der Abhandlung werden einige biografische Anmerkungen, ein Überblick über die Kontexte von Dioscorus‘ Schaffen sowie drei typische Gedichte in slowenischer Übersetzung gegeben (Epithalamion an Isaak = P.Cair.Masp. III 67318, Epithalamion an den von allen verehrten Kometen Kalinikos = P.Cair.Masp. II 67179 in Enkomion an Kaiser Justin II. = P. Cair.Masp. II 67183). Als erstes
setze ich mich mit der Wertung seiner Poesie im 20. Jahrhundert auseinander. »Der schlechteste Dichter der Antike«, ein unglückliches Epiteton, in dem sich die geläufige Urteilsfällung über sein Werk bis ins späte 20. Jahrhundert spiegelt, versuche ich im Kontext einer breiteren Problematik zu verstehen: einerseits als Folge der noch immer geläufigen Interpretation der gesamten Epoche der Spätantike als Epoche der Dekadenz und des Verfalls bzw. als Epoche des Übergangs, andererseits im Kontext der „Gelegenheitspoesie“ und der Figur des „Gelegenheitsdichters“. Im zweiten Teil versuche ich die angeführten Gedichte im Kontext der spätantiken Literatur, bzw. genauer, des literarischen Schaffens im Ägypten des 6. Jahrhunderts zu betrachten. Damit deute ich das zweite zentrale Problemfeld an, nämlich das der Dynamik des „christlichen“ und des „heidnischen“ Elements in seiner Poesie. Als Beispiel dafür stelle ich das Motiv des Dionysus und des Nils in der Obhut des christlichen Gottes in den Vordergrund (Epithalamion an Isaak = P.Cair.Masp. III 67318): die Problematik solcher Dynamiken wurde am Beispiel des Nonnus aus Panopolis (als Autor der „heidnischen“ Dionysiaka und der „christlichen“ Paraphrase des Johannesevangeliums) durch Robert Shorrock‘s Model zweier spätantiker literarischer Code („Dichter der Musen“ und „Dichter des Christus“) effektiv interpretiert. In der Fortsetzung der Abhandlung nehme ich den Standpunkt ein, dass dieses Modell jedoch für eine Interpretation des Werkes von Flavius Dioscorus nur teilweise ausreicht: auf Grundlage der Feststellung, dass es sich bei seiner Poesie um „Gelegenheitspoesie“ handelt, d. h. Poesie, die in ihrem Kern auch mit dem außertextlichen, pragmatischen Kontext verbunden ist (also auch mit verschiedenen Konventionen des Rituals, z. B. der Hochzeit), argumentiere ich, dass für eine angemessene Interpretation die „christlich-heidnische“ Dynamik dieser Poesie in erster Linie als ein literarisches Spiegelbild einer lebendigen Religionsdynamik und nicht (nur) als bloßes literarisches Spiel betrachtet werden sollte.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Keria: Studia Latina et Graeca
The version of anthropogony presented in Olympiodorus’ interpretation of Socrates’ philosophical ... more The version of anthropogony presented in Olympiodorus’ interpretation of Socrates’ philosophical argument against suicide (In Phaed. 1.3.3.–14) suggests two important questions: about the role of ethical dualism and original sin in pagan religion and philosophy on the one hand, and about the extent of Olympiodorus’ innovativeness on the other. I argue that Olympiodorus’ time foregrounded ethical dualism as a major concern in allegorical interpretations of Dionysus’ death by dismemberment, and that certain antecedents for a dualistic view might have existed (e.g. in the theological concepts of Orphic religions). Although any attempt to establish historical connections is bound to be speculative, some sources indicate that the specific link of Dionysus’ death with ethical dualism is not necessarily an innovation contributed in its entirety by Olympiodorus. I derive my main argument from a reference by Alexander of Lycopolis, who mentions that some of the Manichaeans used similar metap...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Keria: Studia Latina et Graeca, 2019
The version of anthropogony presented in Olympiodorus’ interpretation of Socrates’ philosophical ... more The version of anthropogony presented in Olympiodorus’ interpretation of Socrates’ philosophical argument against suicide (In Phaed. 1.3.3.–14) suggests two important questions: about the role of ethical dualism and original sin in pagan religion and philosophy on the one hand, and about the extent of Olympiodorus’ innovativeness on the other. I argue that Olympiodorus’ time foregrounded ethical dualism as a major concern in allegorical interpretations of Dionysus’ death by dismemberment, and that certain antecedents for a dualistic view might have existed (e.g. in the theological concepts of Orphic religions). Although any attempt to establish historical connections is bound to be speculative, some sources indicate that the specific link of Dionysus’ death with ethical dualism is not necessarily an innovation contributed in its entirety by Olympiodorus. I derive my main argument from a reference by Alexander of Lycopolis, who mentions that some of the Manichaeans used similar metaphors to describe the structure of the cosmos, which is based in their teachings on an ethical conflict.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Der Dionysus-Paian des Philodamos Scarphaeus, ein Beispiel epigraphicher Paiandichtung aus dem 4.... more Der Dionysus-Paian des Philodamos Scarphaeus, ein Beispiel epigraphicher Paiandichtung aus dem 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr., gilt im Rahmen der erhaltenen Paiane und in Bezug auf gängige Definitionen dieses Genres als atypischer Paian. Vor allem in Bezug auf eine Definition des Paians als Apollo's Hymne, kann die ungewöhnliche Wahl des Adressaten als interpretatives Problem betrachtet werden. Obwohl die Probleme einer einheitlichen Definition des Genres gut bekannt sind, muss die Wahl des Adressaten mindestens in Philodam's Zeit als Innovation gegolten haben, da im Text ein legitimierender Teil vorliegt. Selbstlegitimierung und Autoreferenzialität sind bedeutende Komponenten nicht nur dieses, sondern auch anderer epigraphischer Paiane, deshalb müssen sie als konstitutive Elemente dieses Paian-Typus betrachtet werden. In dieser Perspektive ist besonders der Paian an Apollo und Asklepios des Isyllos in den Vergleich einzubeziehen. Die Legitimierung des Adressaten und die Genre-Hybridisierung, die daraus hervorgeht, muss man wahrscheinlich als literarisches Mittel zu einem außertextuellen Zweck verstehen, in diesem Fall handelt es sich wahrscheinlich um Reformen in lokaler Glaubenspraxis. In Bezug auf diesen geplanten Synkretismus, der aus lokalen Gegebenheiten hervorgegangen sein könnte, und Unterschiede zu synkretistischen Prozesse im Hellenismus, scheint es angemessener, diesen Paian im Rahmen allgemeiner Charakteristiken der altgriechischen Glaubenswelt sowie einer zweckgebundenen Anwendung von Mythologie, als in einer historischen Perspektive (der Paian als Übergangspunkt zwischen klassicher und hellenistischer Literatur) zu verstehen.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Peplum is both a genre and era in the history of Italian cinematography. A cultural product o... more The Peplum is both a genre and era in the history of Italian cinematography. A cultural product of the 20th century, it draws on traditions and particularly on stereotypes of classical antiquity. Contamination, spectacularity and the cult of physical strength are often seen as reference points for reading the peplum in the sense of a ‘’dialogue with antiquity’’, others, e.g. the ‘’trash’’ aesthetics, are regarded as being specific to the 20 th century. Analyzing the peplum provides many starting-points for research outside the cinema, especially in the context of sociological, aesthetic and reception studies. The main protagonists of the more than 300 peplum movies produced between 1957 and 1964 in Italy, Hercules and Maciste, are super-temporal heroes with no specific/fixed context. They can appear in loyal renderings of classical myths, or fighting the Roman army, Mongols or vampires alike with no difference. The mutual contamination of various mythological and historical contexts and an uninhibited genre hybridization produce a parodic, spectacular genre, which has no pretensions to authenticity or accuracy to its sources. The main ‘herculaic’ protagonist with his key attribute, namely physical strength, offered (and continues to offer!) an important imago to diverse historical ideologies based on the cult of physical power and traditional gender roles. In this sense, a good example can be found in the figure of Gabrielle D’Annunzio, who, as a screenwriter for the peplums, produced in the first peplum-wave in the 1910’, shaped the images of Maciste and later Benito Mussolini. The aim of this presentation is to draw light on this less known phenomenon in the history of cinema from various angles, some discussed in receptional sense, drawing on comparison with historical or mythological traditions of antiquity, others mainly in the context of the culture of 20th century, e.g. the appearance of cinema and mass culture.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Prispevek je bil predstavljen na konferenci Stulikon 2013 na Filozofski fakulteti v Zagrebu (3.-5... more Prispevek je bil predstavljen na konferenci Stulikon 2013 na Filozofski fakulteti v Zagrebu (3.-5. 5. 2013) in objavljen v zborniku konference.
V prispevku obravnavava formalno in semantično zgradbo nominalnih zloženk v staroangleškem epu Beowulfu in sanskrtskem epu Bhagavadgita ter njihove sporočevalne funkcije znotraj umetniškega besedila. V obeh literarnih svetovih je raba zloženk zelo razširjena in predstavlja pomemben element leposlovnega jezika. Razlikam v času in prostoru navkljub se nekatere značilnosti in funkcijski vidiki zloženk v obeh literaturah prekrivajo, pri drugih aspektih pa so vidna precejšnja razhajanja. Skoraj popolnoma prekrivni so edinole semantični in morfološki vzorci tvorbe zloženk. Izhodišče obravnave je jezikoslovno-literarnoteoretsko; prav takšen je tudi okvir predlagane klasifikacije. Omejujeva se na nominalne zloženke, ker so te v indoevropskih jezikih bistveno pogostejše od verbalnih in jih je v obravnavanih delih zaslediti le sporadično.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Thesis Chapters by Blaž Božič
The thesis focuses on Late Antique depictions of the sparagmos-mytheme. Christian and Neoplatonic... more The thesis focuses on Late Antique depictions of the sparagmos-mytheme. Christian and Neoplatonic sources dealing with Dionysus' dismemberment have been interpreted in their historical context i.e. in the context of Late Antiquity and to a lesser degree in a diachronic perspective. It has proven impossible to align these interpretations in such manner as to yield a clear picture. I consider the ethical dualism of the Titanic and Dionysian element to be one of the most important factors for the interpretative praxis of that age. Contrary to some opinions, I believe that the specific link of ethical dualism with Dionysus' death, though mainly considered an innovation by Olympiodorus, can be understood in terms of the Greek religious horizon and might have some antecedents in Orphism as well as in Platonic depictions of the Manichaean cosmos. In the context of Neoplatonism, the specific metaphor of dismemberment served to depict the metaphysical principle of emanation – the movement from the One (undivided) to the Many (divided). Comparisons of Dionysus with Christ, drawn by Christian authors, probably reflect either typological resemblances of the narrative frame or a retrograde interpretation of Dionysus through a Christian framework. Religious components pointed out include theophagy (hence the question of comparison with the Eucharist and of Dionysus as ritual food) as well as the link of deicid and soteriology. Yet it has shown as essential to emphasize the significant difference in theologisation and the different religious core of Christianity and Dionysian/Orphic cults. In the Dionysiaca, Nonnus' poem that concludes the present survey, the complex relation between Christianity and Paganism, which has proven to be of central importance for interpreting the sparagmos-mytheme within Late Antiquity, is further monumentally reflected.
Keywords
Dionysus, Sparagmos, Theophagy, Deicid, Neoplatonism, Apologetics, Late Anitquity
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The thesis focuses on the Latin infinitive passive. An interpretation concerning the origin of th... more The thesis focuses on the Latin infinitive passive. An interpretation concerning the origin of the three suffixes as well as the chronology of their morphologisation has been made by means of diachronic and typological analysis. The morphological source of the suffixes -ī and -(r)ier is Proto-Indo-European, while the suffix -rī originates in the Latin system. The Latin infinitival -ī is cognate with Vedic -e, the dative case suffix of verbal nouns. Latin -(r)ier is from PIE *-dhyeh₁, which was expanded with the element -r in the Italic period. This suffix partly corresponds to the Proto-Indo-Iranian *-dhyāy. The argument against a diphthongal origin of the Latin -ī < PIE *-ey has been rejected, since the passive infinitive reading of the sequence <PAKARI> on the Duenos Inscription is probably due to wrong segmentation. The most probable syntactic source of the infinitive passive are the double dative constructions, which are also attested in Vedic. The problem of diathesis could not be solved within the methodological framework, yet from a typological viewpoint, it is clear that the incorporation of grammatical categories into the infinitive depends more on the morphological features of the verbal system than on syntactic conditions. Therefore, the concrete incorporation of the diathesis into the infinitival system cannot be dated earlier than the Proto-Italic period.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Teaching Documents by Blaž Božič
The purpose of this synopsis is to facilitate the learning of the Ottoman Turkish language by off... more The purpose of this synopsis is to facilitate the learning of the Ottoman Turkish language by offering the learner a synoptical overview of those elements of the Persian language that he or she is likely to encounter while studying with a textbook. It is mainly focused on two grammar points which are most prominent in Ottoman: on the so called izafet-construction (a genitival or appositional type of noun-adjective or noun-noun phrase untypical of Turkish left-branching syntax, but abundantly employed in Ottoman and other languages with a strong Persian influence, e. g. Urdu) and on word-formation. Persian compound word make up lot of Ottoman vocabulary, especially in the vocabulary of Divan-poetry. The leaner can of course always consult the dictionary while reading texts as compound words are usually listed as separate entries, yet reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition can be effectively facilitated by learning the most common formative elements and understanding their underlying grammatical form. I have benefited from the exhaustive lists of Persian formative elements provided by Buğday, Kissling and Develi. The formative elements have been rearranged according to function or semantic field and supplemented with information on the underlying verbal form, which should facilitate the learning process.
This synopsis (Persian grammatical elements in Ottoman) is part of a series of upcoming Ottoman Turkish language learning materials (on Ottoman script, Arabic grammatical elements in Ottoman, Turkic grammatical elements in Ottoman, Divan-poetry vocabulary worksheets, Ottoman metrics …) which is intended to supplement the basic study with a textbook by giving the learner a synoptic, to-the-point overview of certain aspects of the Ottoman language.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The purpose of this guide is to offer a brief introduction to the rules of writing the Arabo-Pers... more The purpose of this guide is to offer a brief introduction to the rules of writing the Arabo-Persian script of the Ottoman orthography. Given that Ottoman orthography was never fully systemized, this somehow appears as a paradox endeavour, yet, the sometimes extremely demanding approach in textbooks which tend to provide the reader with a lot of scattered information made a summarized guide and introduction seem useful. The only goal of this introduction is to provide the learner with orientation and an overview and synopsis of the main concepts and rules of Ottoman orthography. Therefore, it is by default simplified and not intended for independent learning, but rather as a first introduction and later supplement for quick reference when using a proper textbook of Ottoman Turkish. As the study of Ottoman Turkish, to my view, is more about transcription and analysing texts than about fluent reading and instant understanding, the introduction tends to put emphasis on the many options for writing and reading the words. The discussion of the Arabic and Persian elements of orthography is limited to what seemed the most necessary for Ottoman (which is nevertheless quite a lot). The structure of the introduction tries to mimic the likely workflow with textbooks, i.e. it tries to progress through phenomena the learner is likely to encounter at earlier point in the study to the ones which will be encountered later (this also splits some chapters, e.g. some of the Arabic ḥarekāt-diacritics are dealt with earlier than other, e.g. the medde-diacritic is dealt with at the begging, as the learner will quickly encounter the elif medde denoting a word-initial a-vowel). The learner should be familiar with the modern Turkish alphabet and its pronunciation as the pronunciation is referred to by means of the modern Turkish alphabet (and not IPA). In the first place, I have prepared this introduction mainly from notes I took while learning myself, using the standard modern textbook of Ottoman for the non-native Turkish speaker by Korkut Buğday as well as some other sources (listed in the bibliography) and taking notes for what appeared important to me. As I am no Ottomanist by training, but rather engage in the study of the language and its literature on my own and by myself, I will appreciate any comments (especially about the usability of the guide, e.g. about the clearness of the explanations and the order of the chapters), suggestions and, above all, corrections.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Preview of a thematic key vocabulary list for the study of Ottoman poetry (Ottoman-Slovene-Engli... more Preview of a thematic key vocabulary list for the study of Ottoman poetry (Ottoman-Slovene-English). The purpose of the thematic key vocabulary is to help those interested in Ottoman divan poetry to acquire a basic knowledge of the vocabulary used by the Ottoman poets and facilitate the reading of the originals. It will make use of established thematic fields which will be expanded with vocabulary used by the canonical authors of the full Ottoman tradition of divan poetry (from the 15th to the 19th century); the list will further aid the user by supplying additional useful information for each vocabulary item (e.g. the origin language of the word, orthographic/transcription variants, information about inflection etc.), which will be of good use while analysing and reading the texts.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Blaž Božič
The paper attempts to summarise reflections about the elements characterising the erotic imagery of the Morrheus and Chalcomedeia episode from Nonnos’ epic Dionysiaca. The elements under discussion are the motif of the snake as guardian of virginity and the motif of necrophilia. The beginning outlines the structure of the two motifs in the light of Nonnos’ proleptic poetics. The snake motif is to be interpreted as tripartite (prefiguration in Book 15, prophecy in Book 33 and the key scene in Book 35) and the necrophilia motif as bipartite (prefiguration and the key scene in Book 35). According to an assumption formed in earlier research, even the necrophilia scene is in fact a prefiguration (of Morrheus). This assumption is rendered credible by the similarity of the characters (an anonymous warrior, anonymity as a feature of the type) and by the structure of the poem. In order to read the scene as a prefiguration, however, it is pragmatically necessary to presuppose the reader’s familiarity with the Callimachus and Drusiana episode from the Acts of John, a text which – as revealed in earlier research – certainly forms an intertext to the Nonnian episode. I read the snake motif in terms of content and symbol as a typical example of Nonnos’ literary synthesis of classical and Christian elements: the role of the snake as guardian at the entrance into the holy precinct is part of the classical tradition, while the idealisation of virginity and purity stems from the Christian context. The metaphors implied in this reading are the perception of the female body as (a) holy (precinct) and of the genitals as an entrance guarded by a snake, and on the other hand – considering the chthonic nature of the snake – the perception of the human body as an earthy element in contrast to the soul, which is associated with the celestial element.
setze ich mich mit der Wertung seiner Poesie im 20. Jahrhundert auseinander. »Der schlechteste Dichter der Antike«, ein unglückliches Epiteton, in dem sich die geläufige Urteilsfällung über sein Werk bis ins späte 20. Jahrhundert spiegelt, versuche ich im Kontext einer breiteren Problematik zu verstehen: einerseits als Folge der noch immer geläufigen Interpretation der gesamten Epoche der Spätantike als Epoche der Dekadenz und des Verfalls bzw. als Epoche des Übergangs, andererseits im Kontext der „Gelegenheitspoesie“ und der Figur des „Gelegenheitsdichters“. Im zweiten Teil versuche ich die angeführten Gedichte im Kontext der spätantiken Literatur, bzw. genauer, des literarischen Schaffens im Ägypten des 6. Jahrhunderts zu betrachten. Damit deute ich das zweite zentrale Problemfeld an, nämlich das der Dynamik des „christlichen“ und des „heidnischen“ Elements in seiner Poesie. Als Beispiel dafür stelle ich das Motiv des Dionysus und des Nils in der Obhut des christlichen Gottes in den Vordergrund (Epithalamion an Isaak = P.Cair.Masp. III 67318): die Problematik solcher Dynamiken wurde am Beispiel des Nonnus aus Panopolis (als Autor der „heidnischen“ Dionysiaka und der „christlichen“ Paraphrase des Johannesevangeliums) durch Robert Shorrock‘s Model zweier spätantiker literarischer Code („Dichter der Musen“ und „Dichter des Christus“) effektiv interpretiert. In der Fortsetzung der Abhandlung nehme ich den Standpunkt ein, dass dieses Modell jedoch für eine Interpretation des Werkes von Flavius Dioscorus nur teilweise ausreicht: auf Grundlage der Feststellung, dass es sich bei seiner Poesie um „Gelegenheitspoesie“ handelt, d. h. Poesie, die in ihrem Kern auch mit dem außertextlichen, pragmatischen Kontext verbunden ist (also auch mit verschiedenen Konventionen des Rituals, z. B. der Hochzeit), argumentiere ich, dass für eine angemessene Interpretation die „christlich-heidnische“ Dynamik dieser Poesie in erster Linie als ein literarisches Spiegelbild einer lebendigen Religionsdynamik und nicht (nur) als bloßes literarisches Spiel betrachtet werden sollte.
V prispevku obravnavava formalno in semantično zgradbo nominalnih zloženk v staroangleškem epu Beowulfu in sanskrtskem epu Bhagavadgita ter njihove sporočevalne funkcije znotraj umetniškega besedila. V obeh literarnih svetovih je raba zloženk zelo razširjena in predstavlja pomemben element leposlovnega jezika. Razlikam v času in prostoru navkljub se nekatere značilnosti in funkcijski vidiki zloženk v obeh literaturah prekrivajo, pri drugih aspektih pa so vidna precejšnja razhajanja. Skoraj popolnoma prekrivni so edinole semantični in morfološki vzorci tvorbe zloženk. Izhodišče obravnave je jezikoslovno-literarnoteoretsko; prav takšen je tudi okvir predlagane klasifikacije. Omejujeva se na nominalne zloženke, ker so te v indoevropskih jezikih bistveno pogostejše od verbalnih in jih je v obravnavanih delih zaslediti le sporadično.
Thesis Chapters by Blaž Božič
Keywords
Dionysus, Sparagmos, Theophagy, Deicid, Neoplatonism, Apologetics, Late Anitquity
Teaching Documents by Blaž Božič
This synopsis (Persian grammatical elements in Ottoman) is part of a series of upcoming Ottoman Turkish language learning materials (on Ottoman script, Arabic grammatical elements in Ottoman, Turkic grammatical elements in Ottoman, Divan-poetry vocabulary worksheets, Ottoman metrics …) which is intended to supplement the basic study with a textbook by giving the learner a synoptic, to-the-point overview of certain aspects of the Ottoman language.
The paper attempts to summarise reflections about the elements characterising the erotic imagery of the Morrheus and Chalcomedeia episode from Nonnos’ epic Dionysiaca. The elements under discussion are the motif of the snake as guardian of virginity and the motif of necrophilia. The beginning outlines the structure of the two motifs in the light of Nonnos’ proleptic poetics. The snake motif is to be interpreted as tripartite (prefiguration in Book 15, prophecy in Book 33 and the key scene in Book 35) and the necrophilia motif as bipartite (prefiguration and the key scene in Book 35). According to an assumption formed in earlier research, even the necrophilia scene is in fact a prefiguration (of Morrheus). This assumption is rendered credible by the similarity of the characters (an anonymous warrior, anonymity as a feature of the type) and by the structure of the poem. In order to read the scene as a prefiguration, however, it is pragmatically necessary to presuppose the reader’s familiarity with the Callimachus and Drusiana episode from the Acts of John, a text which – as revealed in earlier research – certainly forms an intertext to the Nonnian episode. I read the snake motif in terms of content and symbol as a typical example of Nonnos’ literary synthesis of classical and Christian elements: the role of the snake as guardian at the entrance into the holy precinct is part of the classical tradition, while the idealisation of virginity and purity stems from the Christian context. The metaphors implied in this reading are the perception of the female body as (a) holy (precinct) and of the genitals as an entrance guarded by a snake, and on the other hand – considering the chthonic nature of the snake – the perception of the human body as an earthy element in contrast to the soul, which is associated with the celestial element.
setze ich mich mit der Wertung seiner Poesie im 20. Jahrhundert auseinander. »Der schlechteste Dichter der Antike«, ein unglückliches Epiteton, in dem sich die geläufige Urteilsfällung über sein Werk bis ins späte 20. Jahrhundert spiegelt, versuche ich im Kontext einer breiteren Problematik zu verstehen: einerseits als Folge der noch immer geläufigen Interpretation der gesamten Epoche der Spätantike als Epoche der Dekadenz und des Verfalls bzw. als Epoche des Übergangs, andererseits im Kontext der „Gelegenheitspoesie“ und der Figur des „Gelegenheitsdichters“. Im zweiten Teil versuche ich die angeführten Gedichte im Kontext der spätantiken Literatur, bzw. genauer, des literarischen Schaffens im Ägypten des 6. Jahrhunderts zu betrachten. Damit deute ich das zweite zentrale Problemfeld an, nämlich das der Dynamik des „christlichen“ und des „heidnischen“ Elements in seiner Poesie. Als Beispiel dafür stelle ich das Motiv des Dionysus und des Nils in der Obhut des christlichen Gottes in den Vordergrund (Epithalamion an Isaak = P.Cair.Masp. III 67318): die Problematik solcher Dynamiken wurde am Beispiel des Nonnus aus Panopolis (als Autor der „heidnischen“ Dionysiaka und der „christlichen“ Paraphrase des Johannesevangeliums) durch Robert Shorrock‘s Model zweier spätantiker literarischer Code („Dichter der Musen“ und „Dichter des Christus“) effektiv interpretiert. In der Fortsetzung der Abhandlung nehme ich den Standpunkt ein, dass dieses Modell jedoch für eine Interpretation des Werkes von Flavius Dioscorus nur teilweise ausreicht: auf Grundlage der Feststellung, dass es sich bei seiner Poesie um „Gelegenheitspoesie“ handelt, d. h. Poesie, die in ihrem Kern auch mit dem außertextlichen, pragmatischen Kontext verbunden ist (also auch mit verschiedenen Konventionen des Rituals, z. B. der Hochzeit), argumentiere ich, dass für eine angemessene Interpretation die „christlich-heidnische“ Dynamik dieser Poesie in erster Linie als ein literarisches Spiegelbild einer lebendigen Religionsdynamik und nicht (nur) als bloßes literarisches Spiel betrachtet werden sollte.
V prispevku obravnavava formalno in semantično zgradbo nominalnih zloženk v staroangleškem epu Beowulfu in sanskrtskem epu Bhagavadgita ter njihove sporočevalne funkcije znotraj umetniškega besedila. V obeh literarnih svetovih je raba zloženk zelo razširjena in predstavlja pomemben element leposlovnega jezika. Razlikam v času in prostoru navkljub se nekatere značilnosti in funkcijski vidiki zloženk v obeh literaturah prekrivajo, pri drugih aspektih pa so vidna precejšnja razhajanja. Skoraj popolnoma prekrivni so edinole semantični in morfološki vzorci tvorbe zloženk. Izhodišče obravnave je jezikoslovno-literarnoteoretsko; prav takšen je tudi okvir predlagane klasifikacije. Omejujeva se na nominalne zloženke, ker so te v indoevropskih jezikih bistveno pogostejše od verbalnih in jih je v obravnavanih delih zaslediti le sporadično.
Keywords
Dionysus, Sparagmos, Theophagy, Deicid, Neoplatonism, Apologetics, Late Anitquity
This synopsis (Persian grammatical elements in Ottoman) is part of a series of upcoming Ottoman Turkish language learning materials (on Ottoman script, Arabic grammatical elements in Ottoman, Turkic grammatical elements in Ottoman, Divan-poetry vocabulary worksheets, Ottoman metrics …) which is intended to supplement the basic study with a textbook by giving the learner a synoptic, to-the-point overview of certain aspects of the Ottoman language.