CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Shchetnikova, Anna |
|---|---|
| Title | Pagan Sinner or Ideal Wife? Lucretia in Medieval and Early Modern Contexts |
| Summary | The story of the rape and suicide of Roman matron Lucretia attracted significant attention since its first appearance in the ancient literature. Different versions of the story have been analyzed by researchers for over a century; however, the lines of influence are often drawn directly between the Classical sources and the Church Fathers and Renaissance literature and art; her use in medieval literature, especially religious sources, has largely remained unnoticed. This paper argues that Lucretia’s representations in medieval sources are indicative of larger trends in the thought on what constitutes a virtuous life; and that there exists a continuum, rather than a break, between earlier use of her story in the sermon context and the later versions of secular authors. The first chapter overviews the classical and early Christian sources on Lucretia and the conflict between them that informed later versions of the story. The second chapter is dedicated to the revival of classical reading in the twelfth century and the subsequent re-emergence of that conflict. The third chapter covers the use of Lucretia’s story as an exemplum in the context of preaching and didactic works created by clergymen, while the fourth chapter focuses on secular sources and the position of Lucretia as a model woman and wife in the late medieval period. Finally, the last chapter considers how vernacularization in the early Renaissance times led to a proliferation of increasingly different interpretations of the story. |
| Supervisor | Adde, Eloise; Jaritz, Gerhard |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/shchetnikova_anna.pdf |
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