The Text of the ABC of Aristotle in the ‘Winchester Anthology’

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Abstract

The Middle English  ABC of Aristotle  is an alliterative abecedary poem that survives in fifteen manuscript copies dating between the mid-fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The most eccentric copy, bearing the greatest number of unique textual variants, is in London, British Library, Additional 60577, a commonplace book and miscellany of verse and prose known today as the ‘Winchester Anthology’. The Winchester copy of the  ABC of Aristotle  is distinguished from all others by changes to vocabulary, idiom, and prosody. The result is a unique redaction, illustrating the kind of literary composition that could be expected to grow out of late medieval English grammar schools. The Winchester redaction also expresses a shift in prosodic allegiance. The traditional alliterative line is subtly reshaped into an accentual-syllabic form.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalAnglia
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 19 2021

Disciplines

  • English Language and Literature

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