Sir Francis Kynaston Translating Chaucer: The Untimely Troilus
In the mid-seventeenth century, Sir Francis Kynaston translated Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde into Latin, accompanied by notes and explanations. The translation of the first two books, Amorum Troili et Creseidae libri duo priores Anglico-Latini, was published in 1635. In this article, I argue that the Latin Troilus is an example of a heterochrony, that is, a temporal counter-site located in the present and indicative of alternative modernities. I discuss the entanglement of the various temporalities that come into play: the perceived outdatedness of Chaucer’s English, the timelessness of the Latin language, the attempt to ensure Chaucer’s relevance for the present and the future, and Kynaston’s engagement with the various layers of pasts in Chaucer’s romance itself.
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.37307/j.1866-5381.2023.01.05 |
Lizenz: | ESV-Lizenz |
ISSN: | 1866-5381 |
Ausgabe / Jahr: | 1 / 2023 |
Veröffentlicht: | 2023-05-26 |