The owl and the nightingale
The Owl and the Nightingale (English: The Owl and the Nightingale) is a medium-English poem by the 12th or 13th century and centers on a dispute between an owl and a nightingale , as it was experienced by the author allegedly. It is one of the most famous of the anonymous poems important for Middle English literature .
Originator and dating
There are only two copies of this text left today, one in the National Library of Great Britain (as BL MS Cotton Caligula A.IX) and the other in Jesus College, Oxford (as Jesus College MS 29). Both manuscripts date from the second half, probably even the last quarter of the 13th century. It is usually assumed that the text was written between 1189 and 1216. This assumption is justified by the mention of a recently deceased King Henry, by which Henry II , who died in 1189, could be meant. However, it has also been argued that Henry III. could also be meant, with which the text could not have been written earlier than the year 1279, not much earlier than the two still existing manuscripts.
A similar discussion also sparked about the identity of the poem's author. "Master Nicholas of Guildford, " mentioned in passing in the text, is one of the possible candidates. Numerous other names were also thrown into the discussion, mostly church dignitaries.
content
Unlike many other medieval poems that have a dispute on the subject, The Owl and the Nightingale does not offer a solution to the conflict, which is why the reader is forced to interpret the highly ambiguous text. The debate itself has a very wide range of topics, such as religion or marriage . This range of topics has meant that scholars have often interpreted the text differently; in response to the representation of the owl in the book of Isaiah to a textbook for discussion as part of the trivium . Many historical interpretations have also been made, for example as a parody of the relationship between Heinrich II and Thomas Becket .
literature
- Huganir, Kathryn (1931). The Owl and the Nightingale: Sources, Date, Author. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Meier, Hans Heinrich: The Owl and the Nightingale - De Nachthöiel and d Nachtigall. A Middle English Debate Poem - Zurich German, with a high German introduction. 100 pages. Edition Signathur 2011. ISBN 978-3-908141-78-5 .