Hrosvit
Encyclopedia
Hrotsvitha also known as Hroswitha, Hrotsvit, Hrosvit, and Roswitha, was a 10th-century German
secular canoness of the Benedictine Order, as well as a dramatist and poet
who lived and worked in Gandersheim
, in modern-day Lower Saxony
. Her name, as she herself attests, is Saxon for "strong voice."
She wrote in Latin, and is considered by some to be the first person since antiquity
to compose drama
in the Latin West.
and became a canoness at the Benedictine
Abbey
of Gandersheim
.
Hrotsvit studied under Rikkardis and Gerberg, daughter of Henry the Fowler. Gerberg's brother Otto
penned a history that became one of Hrotsvit's poetical subjects, in her Carmen de Gestis Oddonis Imperatoris, which encompasses the period up to the coronation of Emperor
Otto I
in 962.
She was noted for her great learning and was introduced to Roman Writers by Gerberg. Hrotsvit's work shows familiarity, not only with the Church fathers, but also with Classical poetry, includingVirgil
, Horace
, Ovid
, Plautus
and Terence
(on whom her own verse was modelled). Several of her plays draw on the so-called apocryphal gospels. Her works form part of the Ottonian Renaissance
.
because of romances
which are set there such as the story of Geoffrey Rudel. Pilgrims
returned commending the troubled Queen Adelheid.
Hrotsvit penned a number of legend
s in verse. Two of these are St. Gingulphus and Theophilus.
The story of Theophilus was one of the most popular written in any language. It describes how the young archdeacon
was disappointed about his promotion. He consults a Jewish sorcerer and is taken to a meeting of devils. Theophilus renounces God in a written document, then repents. He is rescued by the Virgin Mary. Hrotsvit supplements the story with her description of Theophilus in The Seven Arts:- De sophiae rivis septeno fonte manantis.
The most well known and original of the works of Hrotsvit is her imitation of Terence. It was written in prose
as six comedies. She writes in her preface that her writing will appeal to many who are attracted by the charm of style.
The comedies of Hrotsvit took the place of Terence in the studies of Gandersheim. Her themes remained love stories. Among them include Gallicanus, Dulcitius, Callimachus, Abraham, Paphnutius, and Sapientia. The reader will note Dulcitius being stricken with illusion, embracing the pots and kettles in the kitchen. In the meantime three lovely maidens, Agape, Chionia, and Irene, are rescued from his villainy.
) Clm 14485, a manuscript written by several hands in Gandersehim toward the end of the 10th or start of the 11th centuries. It was discovered by the Humanist
Conrad Celtis in 1493/94 in the Cloister of St. Emmeram in Regensburg
and formed the first edition (illustrated by Albrecht Dürer
).
Her plays feature the chastity and perseverance of Christian women and contrast these to the perceived Latin portrayal of women as weak and emotional. Her Passio Sancti Pelagii is derived, she says, from an eyewitness to the martyrdom of Pelagius of Cordova
.
Hrosvit divided her work herself into three books. The Book of Legends contained eight legends— with the exception of Gangolf—in dactylic hexameter
:
The Book of Drama presents a Roman Catholic alternative to Terence
. These are the six plays, that are not so much drama as "dialogues", and are a medieval example of closet drama
:
The third book comprised two historical writings in Latin Hexameters: the Gesta Ottonis (a history of the Ottonian houses 919-965) and the Primordia coenobii Gandeshemensis (a history of her order from 846-919).
has annually awarded the Roswitha Prize
, named for Hrosvit, to female writers; since 1974 the Roswitha Ring has been awarded at the close of each summer season of the Gandersheimer Domfestspiele
to the outstanding actress.
In 2006, American feminist drama group Guerrilla Girls On Tour
issued the "First Annual Hrosvitha Challenge" on their website, announcing that they would bestow the First Annual Hrosvitha Award on whichever professional theater decides "to scrap their plans of producing yet another production of a Greek tragedy and instead produce a play by Hrosvitha, the first female playwright".
Hrotsvitha is frequently referred to in John Kennedy Toole
's comic masterpiece A Confederacy of Dunces
, in which she is called Hroswitha.
Asteroid
615 Roswitha
is named in her honour.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
secular canoness of the Benedictine Order, as well as a dramatist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who lived and worked in Gandersheim
Bad Gandersheim
Bad Gandersheim is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Northeim. , it had a population 10,572.Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered houses and is located on the German Framework Road .- Geography :...
, in modern-day Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. Her name, as she herself attests, is Saxon for "strong voice."
She wrote in Latin, and is considered by some to be the first person since antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
to compose drama
Medieval theatre
Medieval theatre refers to the theatre of Europe between the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the Renaissance in approximately the 15th century A.D...
in the Latin West.
Life
Hrotsvit was born into the German nobilityGerman nobility
The German nobility was the elite hereditary ruling class or aristocratic class from ca. 500 B.C. to the Holy Roman Empire and what is now Germany.-Principles of German nobility:...
and became a canoness at the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Gandersheim
Bad Gandersheim
Bad Gandersheim is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Northeim. , it had a population 10,572.Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered houses and is located on the German Framework Road .- Geography :...
.
Hrotsvit studied under Rikkardis and Gerberg, daughter of Henry the Fowler. Gerberg's brother Otto
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
penned a history that became one of Hrotsvit's poetical subjects, in her Carmen de Gestis Oddonis Imperatoris, which encompasses the period up to the coronation of Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
in 962.
She was noted for her great learning and was introduced to Roman Writers by Gerberg. Hrotsvit's work shows familiarity, not only with the Church fathers, but also with Classical poetry, includingVirgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
, Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Plautus
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
and Terence
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
(on whom her own verse was modelled). Several of her plays draw on the so-called apocryphal gospels. Her works form part of the Ottonian Renaissance
Ottonian Renaissance
The Ottonian Renaissance was a limited "renaissance" of economy and art in central and southern Europe that accompanied the reigns of the first three emperors of the Saxon Dynasty, all named Otto: Otto I , Otto II , and Otto III , and which in large part depended upon their patronage.One of three ...
.
Works
Hrotsvit believed Otto had an affinity for ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
because of romances
Romances
Romances is the fifteenth studio album by Mexican singer Luis Miguel, released on August 12, 1997, by Warner Music Latina. It is the third album of the Romance series, in which Miguel covers Latin songs from 1940 to 1978...
which are set there such as the story of Geoffrey Rudel. Pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
returned commending the troubled Queen Adelheid.
Hrotsvit penned a number of legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s in verse. Two of these are St. Gingulphus and Theophilus.
The story of Theophilus was one of the most popular written in any language. It describes how the young archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
was disappointed about his promotion. He consults a Jewish sorcerer and is taken to a meeting of devils. Theophilus renounces God in a written document, then repents. He is rescued by the Virgin Mary. Hrotsvit supplements the story with her description of Theophilus in The Seven Arts:- De sophiae rivis septeno fonte manantis.
The most well known and original of the works of Hrotsvit is her imitation of Terence. It was written in prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
as six comedies. She writes in her preface that her writing will appeal to many who are attracted by the charm of style.
The comedies of Hrotsvit took the place of Terence in the studies of Gandersheim. Her themes remained love stories. Among them include Gallicanus, Dulcitius, Callimachus, Abraham, Paphnutius, and Sapientia. The reader will note Dulcitius being stricken with illusion, embracing the pots and kettles in the kitchen. In the meantime three lovely maidens, Agape, Chionia, and Irene, are rescued from his villainy.
Works
The most important manuscript of her works, containing all the texts other than Primorida, is the Codex Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State LibraryBavarian State Library
The Bavarian State Library in Munich is the central "Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria and one of Europe's most important universal libraries. With its collections currently comprising around 9.39 million books, it ranks among the best research libraries...
) Clm 14485, a manuscript written by several hands in Gandersehim toward the end of the 10th or start of the 11th centuries. It was discovered by the Humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
Conrad Celtis in 1493/94 in the Cloister of St. Emmeram in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
and formed the first edition (illustrated by Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
).
Her plays feature the chastity and perseverance of Christian women and contrast these to the perceived Latin portrayal of women as weak and emotional. Her Passio Sancti Pelagii is derived, she says, from an eyewitness to the martyrdom of Pelagius of Cordova
Pelagius of Cordova
Saint Pelagius of Cordova is said to have been a Christian boy left by his uncle at the age of ten as a hostage with the Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III of al-Andalus, in trade for a clerical relative previously captured by the Moors, the bishop Hermoygius. The exchange never occurred and Pelagius...
.
Hrosvit divided her work herself into three books. The Book of Legends contained eight legends— with the exception of Gangolf—in dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter in poetry or a rhythmic scheme. It is traditionally associated with the quantitative meter of classical epic poetry in both Greek and Latin, and was consequently considered to be the Grand Style of classical poetry...
:
- Ascensio
- Gangolf
- PelagiusPelagius of CordovaSaint Pelagius of Cordova is said to have been a Christian boy left by his uncle at the age of ten as a hostage with the Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III of al-Andalus, in trade for a clerical relative previously captured by the Moors, the bishop Hermoygius. The exchange never occurred and Pelagius...
- TheophilusTheophilus of AdanaSaint Theophilus the Penitent or Theophilus of Adana was a cleric in the sixth century Church who is said to have made a deal with the devil to gain an ecclesiastical position. His story is significant as it is the oldest story of a pact with the Devil and was an inspiration for the Faust legend...
(a "deal with the devilDeal with the DevilDeal With The Devil is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Lizzy Borden released in 2000 .A return to form, featuring a cover by Todd McFarlane.2 covers were recorded...
" legendLegendA legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
) - Basilius
- DionysiusDenisSaint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
- Agnes
- Maria
The Book of Drama presents a Roman Catholic alternative to Terence
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
. These are the six plays, that are not so much drama as "dialogues", and are a medieval example of closet drama
Closet drama
A closet drama is a play that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader or, sometimes, out loud in a small group. A related form, the "closet screenplay," developed during the 20th century.-Form:...
:
- GallicanusGallicanusGallicanus was a Roman name.* Gallicanus was Roman consul in 330, possibly the historical figure behind the first Saint Gallicanus.The following saints of this name are commemorated on 25 June:...
- DulcitiusDulcitiusDulcitius was a Dux Britanniarum, a military leader in Roman Britain in the later fourth century AD. He is praised by Ammianus for his military abilities....
- CallimachusCallimachusCallimachus was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya. He was a noted poet, critic and scholar at the Library of Alexandria and enjoyed the patronage of the Egyptian–Greek Pharaohs Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Ptolemy III Euergetes...
- Abraham
- PafnutiusPaphnutius (play)Paphnutius or The Conversion of the Harlot Thaïs is a play by Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim about the relationship between Saint Thaïs and Paphnutius the Ascetic, the hermit who converted her to Christianity....
- Sapientia
The third book comprised two historical writings in Latin Hexameters: the Gesta Ottonis (a history of the Ottonian houses 919-965) and the Primordia coenobii Gandeshemensis (a history of her order from 846-919).
Contemporary references
Since 1973 Bad GandersheimBad Gandersheim
Bad Gandersheim is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Northeim. , it had a population 10,572.Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered houses and is located on the German Framework Road .- Geography :...
has annually awarded the Roswitha Prize
Roswitha Prize
The Roswitha Prize is the oldest German language prize for literature that is given solely to women.The Roswitha-Medal has been given almost yearly since 1973 by the city of Bad Gandersheim....
, named for Hrosvit, to female writers; since 1974 the Roswitha Ring has been awarded at the close of each summer season of the Gandersheimer Domfestspiele
Gandersheimer Domfestspiele
Gandersheimer Domfestspiele is a theatre festival in Germany....
to the outstanding actress.
In 2006, American feminist drama group Guerrilla Girls On Tour
Guerrilla Girls On Tour
Guerrilla Girls On Tour is an anonymous touring theatre company of 26 women trained in a variety of comedic theatre techniques who develop unique and outrageous activist plays, performance art and street theatre...
issued the "First Annual Hrosvitha Challenge" on their website, announcing that they would bestow the First Annual Hrosvitha Award on whichever professional theater decides "to scrap their plans of producing yet another production of a Greek tragedy and instead produce a play by Hrosvitha, the first female playwright".
Hrotsvitha is frequently referred to in John Kennedy Toole
John Kennedy Toole
John Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, best-known for his posthumously published novel A Confederacy of Dunces. He also wrote The Neon Bible. Although several people in the literary world felt his writing skills were praiseworthy, Toole's novels were rejected...
's comic masterpiece A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published by LSU Press in 1980, 11 years after the author's suicide. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy and Toole's mother Thelma Toole, quickly becoming a cult classic, and later a...
, in which she is called Hroswitha.
Asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
615 Roswitha
615 Roswitha
-External links:*...
is named in her honour.
Modern editions and translations of Hrotsvitha's work
- Winterfeld, Paul von (ed.) (1902) Hrotsvithae opera. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica; SS. rer. Germanicarum) Available from Digital MGH online.
- Strecker, Karl (ed.) (1902) Hrotsvithae opera.
- Berschin, Walter (ed.). Hrosvit: Opera Omnia. Bibliotheca Scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana. MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
/LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, 2001. ISBN 3-598-71912-4 - Pelagius in Petroff, Elizabeth Alvilda, ed. (1986) Medieval Women's Visionary Literature, pp 114–124. ISBN 0-1950-3712-X
- Abraham in Petroff, Elizabeth Alvilda, ed. (1986) Medieval Women's Visionary Literature, pp 124–135. ISBN 0-1950-3712-X
- Hrotsvit von Gandersheim, Sämtliche Dichtungen; aus dem Mittellateinischen übertragen von Otto Baumhauer, Jacob Bendixen und Theodor Gottfried Pfund; mit einer Einführung von Berg Nagel. München: Winkler, 1966.
- Hrotsvitha von Gandersheim. Munich, 1973. (German translations by H. Hohmeyer)
Further reading
- Bodarwé, Katrinette. "Hrotswit zwischen Vorbild und Phantom." In Gandersheim und Essen – Vergleichende Untersuchungen zu sächsischen Frauenstiften, ed. Martin Hoernes and Hedwig Röckelein. Essen: Klartext Verlag, 2006. ISBN 3-89861-510-3.
- Cescutti, Eva. Hrotsvit und die Männer. Konstruktionen von Männlichkeit und Weiblichkeit im Umfeld der Ottonen. Munich, 1998. ISBN 3-7705-3278-3.
- Düchting, R. In: Lexikon des MittelaltersLexikon des MittelaltersThe Lexikon des Mittelalters is a German encyclopedia on the history of the Middle Ages. Written by authors from all over the world, it comprises more than 36,000 articles in 9 volumes. The first six volumes were published by Artemis , Munich and Zürich; volumes seven through nine by LexMA, Munich...
. vol. 5. 148-9. - Haight, Anne Lyon, Hroswitha of Gandersheim; her life, times, and works, and a comprehensive bibliography. New York: Hroswitha Club, 1965.
- Ker, William Paton. The Dark Ages. Mentor Books, May 1958. pp. 117–8.
- Licht, Tino. "Hrotsvitspuren in ottonischer Dichtung (nebst einem neuen Hrotsvitgedicht)." Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch; 43 (2008). pp. 347-353.
- Rädle, Fidel. "Hrotsvit von Gandersheim." In Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters. Verfasserlexikon; 4 (1983). pp. 196–210.
External links
- Biography at The Prodigal Daughter Project
- http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~harsch/hro_intr.html Latin Entries in the Bibliotheca Augustana
- Faksimile bei Gallica: MGHMonumenta Germaniae HistoricaThe Monumenta Germaniae Historica is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.The society sponsoring the series was established by the Prussian reformer Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom...
Writings in folio v4 - Translation of Gesta Ottonis (in German)
- http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/hrotsvit.html Very good site about "Other Women's Voices" with links (engl.)
- Article on Roswitha in the Allgemeinen Deutschen Biographie (ADBAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
) v29, pp 283–294 - http://www.storiamedievale.net/personaggi/rosvita.htm Article (in Italian) with pictures.
- http://www.guerrillagirlsontour.com/pages/icon_monkey_award.html On the Guerrilla Girls On TourGuerrilla Girls On TourGuerrilla Girls On Tour is an anonymous touring theatre company of 26 women trained in a variety of comedic theatre techniques who develop unique and outrageous activist plays, performance art and street theatre...
's First Annual Hrosvitha Award - Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes