Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of her Works

Library of Medieval Women

by Hrotsvitha, Katharina M. Wilson (Editor)

Hrotsvit of Gandersheim (c.935 - c.975), almost certainly of noble Saxon parentage, was a canoness of the Saxon imperial abbey of Gandersheim, living and working there during its time of greatest material prosperity and cultural and intellectual pre-eminence. Her importance cannot be overestimated: she is the first poet of Saxony; the first known dramatist of Christianity (indeed the first known woman dramatist of any time); and a woman displaying erudition and wit in an essentially patriarchal age, a female author in a literary field dominated by men who insisted on re-evaluating and redrawing the literary depiction of women. Discovered in the late fifteenth century, her extraordinary oeuvre, written in medieval Latin, comprises a wide variety of genres: eight legends, six dramas, and two epics, organised into three books. The present volume contains a selection of Hrotsvit's works in English translation, together with an interpretative essay, critical introduction, and scholarly apparatus.Professor KATHARINA WILSONteaches at the University of Georgia.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Poetry, Read For School, Medieval, History

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 1998

About the author

On ancient Roman plays, German nun and poet Roswitha (Hrotsvitha) (circa 935-circa 1000) modeled dialogs that represent an early stage in the revival of European drama.

With a name also spelled Hroswitha, Hrotsvit, or Hrosvit, this a 10th-century German secular canoness and dramatist, born into nobility, lived and worked in a community, the abbey of Bad Gandersheim in modern-day Lower Saxony, Germany. She attests her name as Saxon for "strong voice."

After antiquity, some critics consider her, who wrote in Latin, as the first person to compose drama in Latin-influenced western Europe.

Hrotsvit studied under Rikkardis and Gerberg, daughter of Henry the Fowler, king. Otto I the Great, emperor and brother of Gerberg, penned a history, one of poetical subjects of Hrotsvit in her Carmen de Gestis Oddonis Imperatoris , which encompasses the period to the coronation of Otto I in 962.

Gerberg introduced her, noted for her great learning, to Roman writers. Work of Hrotsvit shows familiarity with the Church Fathers and classical poetry, including that of Virgil, Horace, Ovid, and Plautus, and she modellded her own verse on that of Terence. Several of her plays draw on the "Apocryphal gospels." Her works form part of the renaissance of Otto.

Reviews

[carolina]

my gender and women studies professor is very much in love with this woman and would probably start a cult in her honor if this was the 70s

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) while there are obvious issues (medieval nuns loved their racism) most of this book was actually really enjoyable. It’s all a bit hyperbolic but you can tell that Hrosvit had an amazing command of her craft

[Nevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is more about the format and the structure of the book:
As the only physical copy, that I know of, for this work, it’s decent. It doesn’t have all the plays, which is a bummer. That gets a 4/5 for me, as being a complete works is like another 50 pages max. The introduction lists out all her works and selects 4/7 plays to show.

I love Hrotsvit, she is definitely a guilty pleasure read for me. Her plays are simple, easy to read, and quick. They tap into a different time and culture that is refreshing: her stories of chastity, penance, martyrdom, and glory challenge modern purity culture to its core. Her martyr stories focus on conviction and God’s glory combined with holiness. All themes and discussions that aren’t given the proper light or waved away by the rhetoric of the age. This short book is worth exploring to experience and be challenged by hearing a nun’s voice from the Middle Ages point to God in a such a caring and inclusive way.

[grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection was a bit hard for me to read because of the contents and the way Hrotsvit loved her rhyme.
Many features in these stories are problematic now, which puts a bad taste in my mouth, even if they were considered "okay" when this was initially written. Also, I wouldn't say I liked the rhyme and format of many of the stories; they're not something that I am really interested in. A few parts made me laugh, and I commend her for her talent in writing at the time. I liked the Interpretive Essay included at the end of the book; I think it gives a good explanation of Hrotsvit's works that I had not thought of before.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand the impulse towards rhyming translations, but sometimes they just drive me nuts.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

…

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hrotsvita was a 10th century German nun who wrote plays, legends and epics. She is best known for her plays, but all her works are enjoyable and worth reading. "Florilegium" is in this case a bit of a misnomer, since the volume seems to contain about 80% of Hrotsvita's works, but no complaint about that. Wilson's interpretive essay was helpful, even if filled with meaningless academic jargon--as if she needed to impress us that she knows the secret handshake.