Loading…
Wieland's Revival of Horace
In eighteenth-century Germany there arose a tremendous enthusiasm for translating, particularly from texts written in the Classical languages. Translation theorists in this period outline two possible methods: either the emphasis lies with the ancient source or with the modem idiom. Christoph Martin...
Saved in:
Published in: | International journal of the classical tradition 1996-10, Vol.3 (2), p.171-184 |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | In eighteenth-century Germany there arose a tremendous enthusiasm for translating, particularly from texts written in the Classical languages. Translation theorists in this period outline two possible methods: either the emphasis lies with the ancient source or with the modem idiom. Christoph Martin Wieland (1733-1813) translated the Epistles (1782) and Satires (1786) of Horace into lively verse in a loose iambic pentameter scheme. The translations, with their accompanying introductions and commentaries, display Wieland's expertise as a Classical scholar and his skill as a poet. By contrast, in the Horace translations of Johann Heinrich Voß (1751-1826), too strict an adherence to the metrical and syntactical features of the original produces an unnatural German style. Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700-1766) translated Horace's Ars Poetica as a preface to his own treatise on poetry, Versuch einer critischen Dichtkunst (1730). Gottsched's allegiance lies with contemporary literary style; he translates freely, using rhyming Alexandrines. Wieland's method, a mean between these two extremes, provides the most faithful reproduction of the Roman poet. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1073-0508 1874-6292 |
DOI: | 10.1007/BF02677914 |