Celestial Crusades and Wars in Heaven

ISBN-13: 9783639059502 / Angielski / Miękka / 2008 / 128 str.

Silvia Giovanardi Byer

Opis

This work examines two examples of biblical epic literature: Antonino Alfanos Battaglia celeste (1568) and Erasmus of Valvasones Angeleida (1590), situating their works and this genre within their ancient, medieval, and early modern context. While these two biblical epics have drawn only scant attention, limited mostly to literary circles, the biblical epic genre bears out the influence of such classical masterpieces as Homers Iliad and Virgils Aeneid. At the same time, readers will undoubledly discover these two biblical epics relationship to, and likely influence on John Miltons masterpiece Paradise Lost. Furthermore, Angeleida and Battaglia celeste exemplify the biblical epic genre in their intent to educate and entertain. Likewise, both works develop the primordial and mythical battle between the archangel Michael and Lucifer to explore the timeless theme of conflict between good and evil, virtue and sin, while elucidating and reflecting the political and religious realities of the authors rapidly changing world in Italys post-Tridentine complex historical time.

O autorze

Giovanardi Byer, Silvia Silvia Giovanardi Byer, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor at Park University. She divides her time between teaching and research. Before moving to the United States she lived in Argentina and Italy where she received a Laurea Degree from the University of Turin (1990), she earned a Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008).