The Dialogue of Solomon and Marcolphus (review)

170 Reviews Beecher, Donald, with Mary Wallis, ed., The Dialogue ofSolomon and Marcolphus (Publications of the Barnabe Riche Society 4), Ottawa, Dovehouse Publications, 1995; paper; pp. 239; 17 b/ w illustrations; R.R.P. US$12.00. In 1492 the Dutch printer Gerard Leeu produced an English translation of a popular Latin jest book, The Dialogue of Solomon and Marcolphus. Combining two traditions—one a proverb-contest between an acknowledged sage and an apparent fool, the other a series of roguish tricks which the fool practises upon the wise m a n — the original Latin work was enormously popular from at least the twelfth century, surviving in numerous manuscripts and printed books. It was equally popular in its German versions, and was often reprinted, but Leeu's was the only English edition and its reception among English readers can only be guessed at. The present version presents a facsimile with facing modernisation, together with a lengthy introductory essay and limited textual apparatus. Undoubtedly the strength of this volume is its introductory essay, which is significantly longer that the text itself. Wide-ranging in its reference, the essay provides fascinating background about sources and transmission, about the social and historical conditions of its production, and about its literary context. Beecher carefully surveys a range of possible critical approaches, discussing literary forms, traditions of parodic and subversive literature, the camivalesque, the tradition of the licensed Fool, and much more. This essay, and the accompanying extensive bibliography, is very valuable for its judicious opinions as well as for its fresh and lively discussion of those critical approaches. Regrettably, though, the same accolades cannot be given to the editorial work. Difficulties begin with the statement of editorial procedure, which includes a rather bizarre (and wholly unsubstan- Reviews 1 7 1 hated) speculation that the not infrequent substitution of V for 'n' and vice versa (a c o m m o n mistake in fifteenth-century printing) was not done in error. The outiining of editorial procedure is followed by a section which purports to be an analysis of the vocabulary, but which is in fact a partial list of emendations. Moreover, separated from the textby almost thirty pages, it offers nothing by way of textual apparatus. W h e n w e turn our attention to the text itself, w efinderrors and omissions in the transcription occur with disturbing frequency and the modernisation is inconsistent. Some obvious errors are not emended, and new errors are introduced. Attimes,too, the glossing i s either inadequate or wrong, and suggests a lack of familiarity with fifteenth-century English structures and forms. Inthe final analysis, then, it is disappointing that the very worthwhile preliminary material does not accompany a more reliable text. Peter Whiteford Department of English Victoria University of Wellington Brown, Judith C. and Robert C. Davis, ed., Gender and Society in Renaissance Italy ( W o m e n and M e n in History 3), Harlow, Essex/New York, Addison Wesley Longman, 1998; paper; pp. xi, 255; R.R.R £ 13.99. Dean, Trevor and K. J. P. Lowe ed., Marriage in Italy, 1300-1650 Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1998; cloth; pp. xi, 304; R.R.R A U S $95.00. The history of women during the Italian Renaissance has come a long way since the publication of Joan Kelly's ground-breaking article of 1977 'Did W o m e n H a v e a Renaissance?'. The two ...