Portraits of two merovingian bishops in the poetry of Venantius Fortunatus

Bibliographic Data

ID11891793
AuthorsJudith George (corresponding author), Judith W George
Year1987
Volume13
Issue3
Pages189-205
Publication date1987-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Medieval History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0304-4181 • E-ISSN: 1873-1279
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/0304-4181(87)90013-3
OpenAlexW2029075178
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited8

The poetry of Venantius Fortunatus is frequently used as source material for prosopographical data, for the roles and images of certain categories of individuals, and for details of buildings and topography. His poetry, however, can be used further to provide detailed personal portraits in some cases. There are several groups of poems to individuals which use a range ofgenres and arise from a variety of occasions, illuminating several aspects of the patron and his way of life. Two such clusters are to the bishops Leontius of Bordeaux and Gregory of Tours. The poet works from traditional genres but varies the structure and wording of these poems to respond sensitively to each bishop in his particular circumstances. Comparison of the two groups of poems, and especially of the formal panegyrics, builds up internally consistent and vivid pictures of the attitudes, ambitions and characters of two very different men. Fortunatus' poetry thus enables us to supplement bald prosopogrophical details and generalities about social roles, in a way unique in this period

Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Bishops · Literature · Period (music · Poetry · Portrait · Prosopography · Variety (cybernetics · Classics · Computer Science · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Law · Medieval Literature and History

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