CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2017
| Author | Pastrnak, Patrik |
|---|---|
| Title | A Bridal Journey: The Case of Bona Sforza |
| Summary | The thesis examines the bridal journey of Bona Sforza (1494–1557) from Manfredonia to Krakow in 1518 in the light of its material aspects, rituals and literary image, in order to unravel its inner mechanism and symbolic meanings. A comparative analysis, a whole array of written sources – letters, descriptions of the wedding and journey, wedding poems and orations, financial accounts and the instructional handbook by Diomede Carafa – are used to draw a sketch of the different functions of the journey. Chapter one reconstructs the journey from the point of view of its planning and realization. Chapter two, by tracing the ritual aspects, especially the farewell to the mother, the encounter with the husband and the solemn entries to cities, points to the message behind them – the manifestation of dynastic prestige. The last chapter deconstructs the image of Bona’s journey in humanistic poetry which, by using the ancient form of wedding oration, created a completely new, metaphorical journey. The deconstruction disentangles the rhetorical strategies and messages disguised in them. The thesis provides a new perspective on the traditionally documented part of Bona’s wedding, deploying new historical approaches and methods. |
| Supervisor | Szende, Katalin; Nagy, Balázs |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2017/pastrnak_patrik.pdf |
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