Faulkner, Amy;
(2025)
Private Study and Opportune Words: Wisdom in the Old English Pastoral Care.
English Studies
10.1080/0013838X.2024.2448461.
(In press).
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Abstract
Although much has been written on the significance of wisdom in the famous Prose Preface to the Pastoral Care, less consideration has been given to the main text of the translation itself. By reading this translation alongside not only its well-known paratexts, but also other translations associated with King Alfred, this paper uncovers the Old English translator’s treatment of wisdom, with focus on the tension between pursuing wisdom through private contemplation and the application of that wisdom as part of public service, especially through teaching. Close reading of departures from Gregory’s Latin in the Old English text reveal an anxiety about wisdom pursued in isolation, cut off from any practical, public benefit, which forms a notable contrast to the central ideology of the philosophical Alfredian dialogues.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Private Study and Opportune Words: Wisdom in the Old English Pastoral Care |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/0013838X.2024.2448461 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/0013838X.2024.2448461 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © The Author(s), 2025. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Old English literature, Pope Gregory I, King Alfred, wisdom |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Dept of English Lang and Literature |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10203672 |
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