TeTra | Veronika Wieser "Authorial strategies in Gennadius of Marseille’s De viris illustribus"

TeTra Research Seminar | November 30th, 2023
Veronika Wieser (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)
"Reduce, reuse, recycle: structure, authorial strategies and methodological problems in Gennadius of Marseille’s De viris illustribus"
Catalogues of the names and writings of religious authors and authorities were one of the most enduring forms of biographical collection in the Middle Ages, with rich and varied traditions surviving in both Christian and Islamic contexts. In the Christian world, Jerome’s De viris illustribus (On Illustrious Men) was foundational. Written in 392/393, Jerome’s catalogue of authorities was frequently read and used as a source of information for over a millennium; and its list of authors was variously expanded and continued. In my paper, I focus on one moment in the long history of Jerome’s De viris illustribus: the Late Roman Empire. More specifically, I examine Gennadius of Marseille’s late fifth-century continuation. I analyse the reworking and reinterpretation of Jerome’s bio-bibliographic compendium in order to gain a better understanding of the thematic structure, the authorial choices and the genre-related methodological problems presented in Gennadius’ text. Special attention will be paid to the tensions that are inherent to such continuations and reworkings, between the thematic foci and agendas introduced through different authors-continuators, and between groups represented within the texts and the specific authors and audiences writing and reading them.
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