BOOKS by Gabriele Cocco
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The Fates of the Apostles is a Christian poem written in Anglo-Saxon England. Its artful runic si... more The Fates of the Apostles is a Christian poem written in Anglo-Saxon England. Its artful runic signature at the end decodes into the name of Cynewulf, its likely auctor. The poet endows the epilogue of The Fates of the Apostles with his own fear of death. The Twelve are praised because of their heroic deeds and they are also invoked to guide the poet to God’s presence. The Apostles become the poet’s comfort in such a challenging time of his mortal existence. The poem can be read as Cynewulf’s final prayer before his transitus into the eternities. If one places The Fates of the Apostles into a funerary-liturgical perspective, it might provide a new and compelling reading of the poem as Cynewulf’s literary commendatio animae and cry of finit before his journey back to God.
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Gnomic poetry plays a fundamental part of the so-called Old English Wisdom Literature. The Anglo-... more Gnomic poetry plays a fundamental part of the so-called Old English Wisdom Literature. The Anglo-Saxons showed a strong tendency to inspect, wonder about, and ponder on the primary aspects of human thought, life and essence. This frame of mind is characterised by sequences of concise, tightly-structured proverbial utterances. Such briefness endows gnomic poetry with a sharp, authoritative force. The Anglo-Saxon scop turns to a gnome, maxim, proverb, laconic, sententious saying to compose alliterative verses on native folklore and traditional patterns of thinking. In Old English literature, gnomic poetry inextricably blends pious Christian elements with ancient themes of a heathen far-flung Germanic tradition. Gnomic verses not only deal with folklore, they also stand as a powerful and elaborate literary device to affirm a moral, or even to portray virtues or vices. Such a literary sensibility stands in the middle between a Christian religious tradition which traces its roots back to Old Testament proverbs and the typical Germanic wisdom-competition poems such as Old Norse Vǫluspá, Vafþruðnismál, Heiðreks Saga and so forth. Yet, the Anglo-Saxon scop used the gnomic verse as a reliable fund of ethical dictum on which he would generally call to celebrate, in a poem, an episode worthy of celebration or to restate an accepted truth. There are extant heterogeneous ‘compilations’ of gnomic verse to which scholars normally refer as Maxims I and II. Furthermore, there are some other examples to be found in other poems, such as in The Wanderer or in Beowulf. The Exeter Book and BL MS. Cotton Tiberius B.i contain the utmost examples of gnomic passages. The vivid content of the Maxims caused a variety of opinions relating to both the significance of the style of these poems and the provenance of its content based on large number of literary sources. The purpose of this Doctoral dissertation is to carry out a scrutiny of the Old English gnomic tradition, focusing on Maxims I and II, supply an edition of the texts, write a variorum commentary and an analytic glossary. At the same time, this work aims to take into consecration the reason such a theme dendritically sprouts and suddenly reaches new heights in some crucial parts of Old English literature.
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PAPERS by Gabriele Cocco
Elephant&Castle , 2023
Among the rewritings of the Old English epic of Beowulf, Zemeckis’ homonymous film departs from t... more Among the rewritings of the Old English epic of Beowulf, Zemeckis’ homonymous film departs from the poem in its reinterpretation of the themes of otherness and parenthood. The director and screenwriters come up with the lethal hybridization between two incompatible lineages: monsters are the result of the carnal union between Grendel’s mother and a hero. From the adulterous encounter with Hrothgar was born Grendel and from that with Beowulf the dragon was conceived. In returning the Old English epos to a contemporary audience, the film presents a dystopian reality in which lustful parents lost their heroism by succumbing to the seduction of evil conveyed by Grendel’s Mother. From that fatal union shape-shifting creatures are born and raised in a thirst for revenge against their parent who disowned them. For Zemeckis, it is an inevitable catastrophic cycle that will ever endure in non-regeneration.
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The adventurous courtly world of Minnesang has attracted the curiosity of the Italian academia si... more The adventurous courtly world of Minnesang has attracted the curiosity of the Italian academia since the mid of the Twentieth century. Collections of Lieder have been abridged into six anthologies and translated with the purpose of conveying the spirit of Middle High German poetry and its values to a vast audience of Italian readers. Among the medieval authors, Wolfram von Eschenbach has played a vital role in the milieu of German Medieval literature not only as regards the epos (Parzival, Titurel), but also as to Minnesang. Among his poetic production, Wolfram stands out as the father of Tagelieder in Middle High German. This essay will investigate how his dawn-song Sîne klâwen has been translated into Italian. Attention will be paid to the translation strategies behind the five renderings of the poem and to Maria Vittoria Molinari’s views concerning the central role of the translator-philologist.
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The Old English epic of Beowulf is characterised by several supernatural events in which the hero... more The Old English epic of Beowulf is characterised by several supernatural events in which the hero performs wondrous deeds. The most outstanding ability of the Prince of the Geats is to be able to fight dreadful beings such as sea-monsters, Grendel and its mother, and a dragon. Those prodigious contests give form to some of the main manifestations of the marvellous throughout the poem. The present study analyses the lexical incidence of recurring key-words such as “wundor” (‘astonishing thing’), “wrætlic” (‘splendid’, ‘wonder-inspiring’), and “sellic” (‘wonderful’, ‘strange’). It also aims at providing support to reading Beowulf merely as a hero with unusual strength, not as a good monster amid bad monsters.
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Filologia Germanica / Germanic Philology , 2018
The Wanderer 13-14a reveals that a man ought to “his ferðlocan fæste binde, / healde his hordcofa... more The Wanderer 13-14a reveals that a man ought to “his ferðlocan fæste binde, / healde his hordcofan” (bind fast the closet of his mind, to guard the chamber of his thoughts) in order to shelter his soul. This imagery of the compounds ferðloca and hordcofa recalls that of the word cubiculum in Ambrose’s exegesis on Mt. 6:6, “tu autem cum orabis intra in cubiculum tuum”, in De Cain et Abel I, 9.38, “cubiculum quod est in
te, in quo includuntur cogitationes tuas, in quo versantur sensus tui”. The metaphorical portrayal of the heart as the innermost cubiculum of private prayer also occurs in some writings by Augustine. Ambrose’s elucidation on the term cubiculum concerning the cogitatio and the sensus, as well as Augustinian theology, may have influenced the poet in his lexical choice for the compound nouns ferðloca and while attempting to portray the views the Anglo-Saxons had on the “fettered mind”.
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The purpose of this paper is to take into consideration the Italian trasnlations of the Old Engli... more The purpose of this paper is to take into consideration the Italian trasnlations of the Old English elegy The Seafarer. The first part of the essay will take into consideration the way in which the 20th century italian academics drew on early British and German scholars and their writings at the dawn of Anglo-Saxon studies to plan their translation work. The second part of the paper will be considering Giuseppe Brunetti's and Carla Cucina's translations of the poem both published in 2008. Their work will be compared with regard to (1) use of Christian lexis, and use of kenningar, (2) adjustment of the Old English alliterative measure with modern devices, and (3) different strategies in dealing with some arduous passages inthe poem. This study aims at pointing out how a modern-day language, despite its own peculiarities, can still convey with great force most of the stylistic devices and features of a poem which belongs to a far-flung tradition.
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By surviving the tossing-high-billows of the stormy sea, Apollonius of Tyre not only spares his l... more By surviving the tossing-high-billows of the stormy sea, Apollonius of Tyre not only spares his life, but he also learns how to triumph over the mare mundi. Despite manifold misfortunes and trials, the character’s steadfastness and good works allow him eventually to attain utmost prosperity and regain what he had lost. Though allegedly heathen, Apollonius was a vivid exemplum of perseverance and virtue. The episode of his shipwreck is endowed with rich eschatological symbolism and it was certainly an issue of great inspiration to any monk striving for righteous Christian living. Thus it is not surprising to find a romance with such a pagan background within a codex containing homilies and other religious material.
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The apothegms of Maxims I present a number of female archetypes. Among those gnomes, the laconic ... more The apothegms of Maxims I present a number of female archetypes. Among those gnomes, the laconic episode of the frysan wyf welcoming her husband (ll. 94b-99) still deserves further attention. Critics have generally read frysan as “Frisian”, yet Ettmüller he derives it from the adjective frise (frese) and translates it with the Latin crispus, comatus. The purpose of this paper is to expand on Ettmüller’s reading by examining whether the theme of a woman’s hair – as to her conduct, social status, and relationship with her spouse – might also be relevant with regard to the frame of mind of the Anglo-Saxons. If one places the episode of the frysan wyf in a Christian context, the whole passage surely acquires a new perspective. This essay aims at reconsidering Maxims I 94b-99 and its likely relationship with the views on women and their hairstyle held by the Church Fathers – whose veiled sway was certainly present in any scriptorium where Maxims I was either compiled or copied. Hence, the laconic passage of the frysan wyf could be part of a larger cluster of lines, and Maxims I 94b-106 stand as a unique warning for the conduct of Anglo-Saxon women.
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In Hamlet 1.3.57-81, Polonius’s instructions to Laertes are imparted in the form of either advice... more In Hamlet 1.3.57-81, Polonius’s instructions to Laertes are imparted in the form of either advice or admonition. There is still debate amongst scholars as to the sources Shakespeare might have had in mind in writing these maxims. The purpose of this work is not only to consider the source behind Polonius’s precepts; it also aims to show the main occurrences of such a theme in the Bible and in English literature, especially in the Middle Ages, up to Shakespeare’s time. The works considered in this essay have the same topos: they are the endeavour of a father/mentor to guide his child/disciple on some specific issues. The sage often speaks to the addressee calling him by name and utters his maxims in the imperative. The addressee is never fictional. Writers turn to such a father-to-son pattern not only to instruct their own children, but also to reach out to all those who seek guidance and words of wisdom on a specific matter. This theme has never lost its peculiar essence despite the different literary sensibilities and styles. In fact, throughout history, children always needed warnings and counsels in order to be successful in their own lives; the advice is delivered by a caring father/mentor who, by means of his wisdom and example, will lead them in the world in which they live. Despite cultural, religious and national differences, the rich legacy of moral instructions is an unfailing path which accompanies sons or disciples on a successful course. The hearts of the fathers will turn to those of their children (Mal. 4:6). And the hearts of the children will be filled with the knowledge provided by their fathers. Hence, they will pursue a successful course and will be guided by the wisdom of old – the truest of all compasses.
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This precious whalebone artefact produced in about eighth-century Northumbria belongs to the cate... more This precious whalebone artefact produced in about eighth-century Northumbria belongs to the category of minor arts and has been marginalised as attention has been diverted to other more well-known works. However, it should legitimately be considered as one of the greatest examples of carving from the early Middle Ages. Its iconography is striking due to both its complexity and the variety of fonts which it displays. Moreover, the Casket stands as a surviving repository of visual and verbal messages which recall the vivid tradition of literary riddles which was part and parcel of Old English Literature. If the archer and his mission are put into a biblical context, new light might be thrown on one who bravely protects himself and another who takes shelter in the fortified building assailed by a group of vicious soldiers. And a story might emerge which justifies the scene’s prominent position on the lid.
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By means of some veiled hints related to the figure of the Pardoner, Chaucer introduces his reade... more By means of some veiled hints related to the figure of the Pardoner, Chaucer introduces his readers to a peculiar character whose ambiguous moral and sexual identity might be discovered in a far-flung Germanic past once prevailing in Anglo-Saxon England. The description given in the General Prologue recalls Old Norse Gylfaginning where Snorri Sturluson tells the story of Loki: a god who once turned into a mare. It is plausible to think that Chaucer might have drawn from a faded mythologema still known and accessible to his readers’ understanding. This Pardoner–Loki correlation stands as another testimony of the Pardoner’s homosexual nature.
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Coleridge’s religious views changed all through his lonesome life. Despite his reconversion to An... more Coleridge’s religious views changed all through his lonesome life. Despite his reconversion to Anglicanism after an active membership amongst the Unitarians and the Socinians, he was constantly troubled by the thought of the inexplicable entrance of evil in one’s existence and by a piercing sense of guilt for his sins. He sought to find God’s forgiveness and feel His love. Coleridge imbued with such feelings the title characters of some of his works, for instance The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere and Christabel. In both cases no chance is given them to repent of their transgressions. They are denied God’s grace, and are led to the point of no return. Christabel is the story of innocence and purity violated by sin. In a setting of ambiguity, if not disorder, Geraldine twists Christabel’s simplicity and inexperience, offering false protection. Such apparent truths beguile Christabel and introduce her to carnality. Geraldine’s spell brings spiritual destruction and never-ending misery on Christabel and her father, Sir Leoline. Christabel mirrors Coleridge’s views on the doctrine of the Fall. The story itself, the Bible and the author’s consideration of John Milton’s Paradise Lost as a literary mediator are merely a pretext for him to express his theological concerns and spiritual anxieties while giving vent to his heavy-laden vocation as a poet.
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Co-edited Volumes by Gabriele Cocco
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BOOKS by Gabriele Cocco
PAPERS by Gabriele Cocco
te, in quo includuntur cogitationes tuas, in quo versantur sensus tui”. The metaphorical portrayal of the heart as the innermost cubiculum of private prayer also occurs in some writings by Augustine. Ambrose’s elucidation on the term cubiculum concerning the cogitatio and the sensus, as well as Augustinian theology, may have influenced the poet in his lexical choice for the compound nouns ferðloca and while attempting to portray the views the Anglo-Saxons had on the “fettered mind”.
Co-edited Volumes by Gabriele Cocco
te, in quo includuntur cogitationes tuas, in quo versantur sensus tui”. The metaphorical portrayal of the heart as the innermost cubiculum of private prayer also occurs in some writings by Augustine. Ambrose’s elucidation on the term cubiculum concerning the cogitatio and the sensus, as well as Augustinian theology, may have influenced the poet in his lexical choice for the compound nouns ferðloca and while attempting to portray the views the Anglo-Saxons had on the “fettered mind”.