Overview

This annotated translation of the Minneburg is the first to appear of the complete work in English, or, for that matter, in any language. The Minneburg, composed in the middle of the fourteenth century in the vicinity of Würzburg, is one of the most extensive and fascinating allegories of Love from the German Middle Ages. The reader encounters here a unique depiction of the intimate connection between love and God, set against a backdrop of otherworldly castles and allegorical figures. The Minneburg is not simply a fascinating commentary on how the love of a noble woman should be procured, but rather a didactic treatise on the acquisition of love as a triumph of virtue over vice, albeit love that, while instigated by a male suitor, requires reciprocity as an integral component if it is to be sanctioned by God.

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9781961361317

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Reviews

""McConnell's epoch-making translation of the Minneburg is the first complete and definitive translation in English of this anonymous fourteenth-century poem, a work regarded by medievalists as the most important allegorical poem of the Late German Middle Ages. With it, McConnell removes from relative obscurity a remarkable text of the late Middle Ages composed by a highly educated and sophisticated individual with a diverse range of interest in, and knowledge of, medieval theology, philosophy, warfare, geography, and his own literary traditions. What makes this book all the more valuable is the author's erudite introduction that provides a detailed and critical review of the relevant scholarship. Without doubt a most welcome and timely addition to the field of Late Middle High German literature."" - Francis Brévart, University of Pennsylvania ""Winder McConnell's translation of The Castle of Love (Die Minneburg) offers a brilliant and accessible gateway into one of the most intriguing, yet complex, works of late medieval German literature. This early fourteenth-century allegorical poem, long neglected in favor of the high courtly romances, emerges here as a vital ""experimental"" text that uniquely synthesizes scholastic theology, ethics, and the courtly tradition. A significant contribution to the study of the Minnereden genre, this volume provides an indispensable resource for students and scholars alike. It sheds light on a pivotal shift in medieval literary discourse-where love is explored not merely as a courtly game, but as a reciprocal duty rooted in the divine order. This translation is an essential addition to the canon of German literature in translation, offering a profound encounter with the sophisticated allegorical mind of the late Middle Ages."" - Tina Boyer, Wake Forest University ""Not just a tour-de-force, but a delight. McConnell gives us The Castle of Love in a natural, flowing, elegant, and above all else, very readable prose."" - Brian Murdoch, University of Stirling ""An authoritative and highly accessible contribution that will, for the very first time in its seven-hundred-year history, unlock this fascinating work for English-language readers."" - Michael Resler, Boston College

Author Information

WINDER McCONNELL received his PhD from the University of Kansas. He has held positions at the University of Western Ontario, Gymnasium Münden (Niedersachsen), Stanford University, the Johns Hopkins University, and the University of California, Davis. He has been a Guest Professor at the University of Stirling, Scotland. His publications include The Wate Figure in Medieval Tradition (1978), The Nibelungenlied (1984), The Epic of Kudrun (1988), Das Weltgerichtsspiel der Sammlung Jantz (with Ingeborg Henderson), A Companion to the Nibelungenlied (1998), Thomasin von Zirclaria. Der Welsche Gast (trans. with Marion Gibbs). He has also translated the Kudrun epic (1992) and The Lament of the Nibelungen (Div Chlage) (1994). He has edited, or co-edited, several Festschriften, and is the author of over 100 articles and reviews.

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