Sanson de nantuil's 'anglo - norkan' verse translation of the proverbs of Solomon - a critical repertory

Abstract

The present study is intended to review critically previous scholarship on Sanson de Nantuil's Proverbs of Solomon, and tries to shed some new light on the interpretation of the poem. Volume I begins with a summary description of the distinguishing features of the manuscript, and this is followed by a brief explanation of the method adopted in transcribing the text. In order to situate the text historically, details of the author’s suggested background are reviewed, as is evidence relating to the author’s source material. The central portion of the thesis concentrates largely on textual exegesis, and deals with both literary and linguistic points of interest. This is followed by a general examination of the language, bearing more particularly on criteria for dating and localising the poem. A list of hypermetric lines and an index of proper names, both intended to aid further study, complete the first volume. Volume II of the thesis contains a diplomatic transcription of the Anglo - Norman copy of Sanson de Nantuil's text, and is meant to provide a reliable starting - point for enquiry.