Introduction

John Barclay's Argenis (1621) is a Neo-Latin political romance that tells the story of the chaste passion of the only daughter of the king of Sicily for a foreign nobleman to whom she is secretly betrothed. It was one of the most widely read and imitated novels of the seventeenth century, with...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Glomski, Jacqueline
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:167182
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/167182
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5565/rev/studiaaurea.203
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:John Barclay
Romance fiction
Theatrical adaptation
Neo-latin literature
El género "romance"
Adaptación teatral
Literatura neo-latina
Descripción
Sumario:John Barclay's Argenis (1621) is a Neo-Latin political romance that tells the story of the chaste passion of the only daughter of the king of Sicily for a foreign nobleman to whom she is secretly betrothed. It was one of the most widely read and imitated novels of the seventeenth century, with numerous prose translations, abridgements, and sequels in all the major languages of Europe. Although a great novel does not necessarily make a great play, Barclay's story also had authentic dramatic potential, and it was adapted for the stage five times, in French (twice), Spanish, German, and Italian, from the 1620s to the end of the century. This essay introduces the main features of Barclay's work, sketches its literary and political context, and suggests reasons why Barclay's stimulating combination of politics and romance was so attractive to the three playwrights discussed in this cluster: Pierre Du Ryer, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and Christian Weise.