Grafting Helen: The Abduction of the Classical Past

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Grafting Helen GRAFTING HELEN The Abduction of the Classical Past Matthew Gumpert THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS The University of Wisconsin Press 1930 Monroe Street Madison,Wisconsin 53711 www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/ 3 Henrietta Street London WC2E 8LU, England Copyright © 2001 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System All rights reserved 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gumpert, Matthew. Grafting Helen: the abduction of the classical past / Matthew Gumpert. 352 pp. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-299-17120-5 (alk. paper) ISBN 0-299-17124-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Classical literature—History and criticism. 2. Helen of Troy (Greek mythology) in literature. 3. Civilization, Western—Classical influences. 4. French literature—Classical influences. 5. Trojan War—Literature and the war. 6. Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.) 7. Beauty, Personal, in literature. I. Title. PA3015.R5 H374 2001 880'.09—dc21 00-010615 Publication of this volume has been made possible in large part through the generous support and enduring vision of Warren G. Moon. Sırmaya Immitant les meilleurs aucteurs Grecz, se transformant en eux, les devorant, & apres les avoir bien digerez, les convertissant en sang & nouriture, se proposant, chacun selon son naturel & l’argument qu’il vouloit elire, le meilleur aucteur, dont ilz observoint diligemment toutes les plus rares & exquises vertuz, & icelles comme grephes, ainsi que j’ay dict devant, entoint & apliquoint à leur Langue. Cela faisant (dy-je) les Romains ont baty tous ces beaux ecriz, que nous louons & admirons si fort. [Imitating the best Greek authors, transforming themselves into them, devouring them, and after having fully digested them, converting them into blood and sustenance, they selected, each according to his natural inclination and the theme he wanted to treat, the best author, whose rarest and finest virtues he had diligently observed, and as if these virtues were grafts, as I said before, they grafted and applied them to their Language. By doing this (I say) the Romans built all of those beautiful writings which we praise and so greatly admire.] (Trans. author) La donq’, Françoys, marchez couraigeusement vers cete superbe cité Romaine: & des serves depouilles d’elle (comme vous avez fait plus d’une fois) ornez voz temples & autelz. . . . Donnez en cete Grece menteresse, & y semez encor’ un coup la fameuse nation des Gallogrecz. [And so, Frenchmen, march bravely toward that proud Roman city: and with her spoils (just as you have done on more than one occasion), adorn your temples and altars. . . . Take Greece, that impostor, and sow there once again the great city of the Gallo-Greeks.] (Trans. author) —Joachim du Bellay, La deffence et illustration de la langue françoyse ...