An entertaining tale of quadrupeds : translation and commentary / Nick Nicholas, George Baloglou.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Nicholas, Nick, 1971-

Baloglou, George

Series:

Records of Western civilization

Standardized Title:

Diēgēsis paidiophrastos peri tōn tetrapodōn zōōn. English

Language:

English

Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Subjects (All):

Animals--Poetry.

Animals.

Genre:

Poetry.

Physical Description:

xv, 557 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, [2003]

Language Note:

Translation of a late Byzantine Greek poem.

Summary:

"An Entertaining Tale of Quadrupeds" is the first English verse translation of the Greek satirical poem "Diegesis Paidiophrastos ton Zoon ton Tetrapodon." Written by an anonymous author in fourteenth-century Byzantium, this vernacular allegorical poem has long been recognized as a unique document, one that appears to have originated independently of comparable works in other traditions. A medieval "Animal Farm," the story describes a convention of animals in which each beast vaunts its uses to humanity while denigrating others, resulting in a cataclysmic battle. The authors provide extensive textual analysis and notes on the form, style, and context of the poem.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 495-526) and index.

ISBN:

023112760X

0231127618

OCLC:

51878336