The Vernacular Aristotle : Translation As Reception in Medieval and Renaissance Italy

"This book explores the ways in which Aristotle's legacy was appropriated and reshaped by vernacular readers in Medieval and Renaissance Italy. It considers translation in a broad sense, looking at commentaries, compendia, rewritings, and abridgments alongside vernacular versions of Aristotle's works. Translation is thus taken as quintessential to the very notion of reception, with a focus on the dynamics - cultural, social, material - that informed the appropriation and reshaping of the 'master of those who know' on the part of vernacular readers between 1250 and 1500. By looking at the proactive and transformative nature of reception, this book challenges traditional narratives about the period and identifies the theory and practice of translation as a liminal space that facilitated the interaction between lay readers and the academic context while fostering the legitimation of the vernacular as a language suitable for philosophical discourse."-- Provided by publisher The Vernacular Aristotle pp i-i Classics after Antiquity - Series page pp ii-ii The Vernacular Aristotle - Title page Translation as Reception in Medieval and Renaissance Italy pp iii-iii Copyright page pp iv-iv Dedication pp v-vi Contents pp vii-viii Figures pp ix-xii Series Editors’ Preface pp xiii-xiv Acknowledgements pp xv-xviii Notes on the Text pp xix-xx Introduction pp 1-16 Chapter 1 - Taming the Philosopher pp 17-50 Chapter 2 - The Master of Those Who Know (and Those Who Don’t) pp 51-85 Chapter 3 - Family BusinessReadying the Ethics for the Layman pp 86-127 Chapter 4 - The Philosopher, the Humanist, the Translator and the Reader pp 128-179 Chapter 5 - Abridging the Philosopher(s) pp 180-223 Conclusion pp 224-232 The Spirit in the Crystal Bottle Bibliography pp 233-264 Index pp 265-276 Explores the ways in which Aristotle's legacy was appropriated and reshaped by vernacular readers in Medieval and Renaissance Italy. Focusing on the ethical implications of the theory and practice of translation, it illuminates the cultural and social dynamics that legitimated the vernacular as a language of knowledge.