Talking Animals Medieval Latin Beast Poetry, 750-1150

Lions, goats, wolves, and flies ululate (and buzz) in this work, dispelling views of medieval Latin poetry as staid or dull. Asserting that the poems offer more than an entree to the Roman de Renart, Ziolkowski (medieval Latin, comparative literature; Harvard U.) explores their likely inspirations, and surveys what is known and speculated about them. He appends his own translations of 32 poems spanning the 10th through 12th centuries. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR