Die Trojasage als Soffquelle für John Gower's Confessio Amantis

Author/Editor
Eichinger, Karl

Title
Die Trojasage als Soffquelle für John Gower's Confessio Amantis

Published
Eichinger, Karl. "Die Trojasage als Soffquelle für John Gower's Confessio Amantis." PhD thesis, Kgl. Bayer. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität zu München, 1900.

Review
Eichinger's brief dissertation examines the sources Gower used for his Trojan stories. Eichinger argues that Benoît de Sainte-Maure is nearly always the main source ("Hauptquelle"; 19), and that when Gower borrows from Guido delle Colonne it is most likely from a Latin text. Most of Eichinger's work is taken up with precise comparisons of specific stories and their sources. Stories are classified as being indebted to Benoît (the majority), Guido (only Gower's description of the sirens), both writers (Medea), or either writer (Nauplus; Achilles' love for Polixena). While Eichinger does not emphasize any particular theme that Gower brings out, he does argue that from an aesthetic point of view Gower equals his sources (21). [CvD]

Date
1900

Gower Subjects
Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations
Confessio Amantis