The Mirror of Minds or John Barclay's Icon Animorum
John Barclay author Thomas May translator Mark Riley editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Leuven University Press
Published:6th Nov '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Original Latin text with English translation on facing pages. In this essay from 1614 the Neo-Latin poet, translator, and commentator John Barclay describes the manners and mores of his European contemporaries. He derives the sources of an individual's peculiarities of behavior and temperament from the ‘genius' - the individual character created by each person's upbringing, time of life, and profession. Barclay likewise describes each nation's genius, its national character, and provides some of the geographical and historical background from which he claims this genius arose. The essay is a valuable study, not only for the illustration it offers of a pre-Romantic view of Europe, but for a glimpse into the continuities that mark European civilization. The introduction describes the Classical and Renaissance background to Barclay's work, with a detailed biography of the author. The Latin text reproduces Barclay's first edition, with the necessary corrections. The English translation (1631) is that of Thomas May, a skillful translator of Vergil, Lucan, and other classical authors, as well as a playwright in the manner of Ben Jonson. The book features illustrations of selected pages from early editions of the text, and includes contemporary portraits of Barclay and May.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).
This is a nicely produced edition of an interesting text, supplemented by an English translation that has considerable literary merit in its own right. The series in which the 'Icon' appears, Bibliotheca Latinitatis novae, is not producing volumes at nearly the rate of, say, The I Tatti Renaissance Library, but I wish we could see more books from them. There are many worthwhile Neo-Latin texts in need of editing!
Craig Kallendorf, Texas A&M University, Neo-Latin News Vol.62
Mark Riley has successfully brought together a good standardized Latin text, a parallel English translation of range and ingenuity, and an erudite introduction. The inclusion of May's translation certainly sets it apart from other parallel Latin texts like Loeb and I Tatti (and this perhaps may disappoint some who wish to see the growth of a standardized Renaissance Latin Library like Loeb), but this edition provides the reader with the necessary tools to enjoy and appreciate the literature and its message (in Latin and/or English). The result should be warmly welcomed and enjoyed.
DAVID M. MCOMISH, University of Glasgow, Renaissance Quarterly 67.4 (Winter 2014)
In Summe bleibt von Rileys Edition der Eindruck eines gelungenen Beitrages zu einem bislang kaum beachteten Text, v.a. aber auch der Eindruck einer Edition, die einen Ansporn zu weiterführenden Auseinandersetzungen mit Barclays Icon Animorum gibt. Isabella Walser, Editionen in der Kritik, 2014
ISBN: 9789058679451
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 57g
380 pages