A (Seven Sages)

From The Seven Sages of Rome

The prose redaction of The Seven Sages usually titled 'Version A' is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential versions of the 'Western' tradition. It originated in Old French, likely in the late 12th or early 13th centuries (see Speer and Foehr-Janssens, pp. 64-74), and was eventually translated into English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, and Welsh. There is a consensus in scholarship that this version was also the source for Versions H, I, and M.

The original Old French prose redaction of Version A likely shared a source with Version K, and that text presumably also shared a source with Versions C and D. This proximity is assessed partially on the basis of embedded stories, and their order within the frame narrative. For example, Version A has the same embedded stories as Versions K and D, but their order differs. Version L, on the other hand, has exactly the same stories in the same order as Version A for the first 11 stories, but then varies dramatically, omitting Vidua and Vaticinium and instead including Filia and Noverca. Of all of these early Old French redactions, however, it was Version A that spread most rapidly and widely.

This narrative version is identified by the story order (below). In Version A, the emperor is often named Dioclecian; his first wife is sometimes named Milicent, or Helie. The prince is named Florentine in the Middle English version, and Stefano in the Italian.

Identification and general Information
Reference Number
Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages A (Seven Sages)
Version Number
Title Seven Sages of Rome/Roman des Sept Sages
Author
Tradition and Lineage
Branch of the tradition West
Adapted from (version) V (Lost metrical Old French Sept Sages)
Adapted into (version) H (Historia Septem Sapientum)I (Versio Italica)M ('Male Marastre')
Source for composition and adaptation information Campbell (1907)Foehr-Janssens (1994)
Recorded secondary versions
Connected manuscripts
Language and Composition
Original language of version Old French
Language of text
Regional or specific language of version
Translated into (languages) EnglishMiddle EnglishMiddle ScotsFrenchGerman (High and Low German)DutchItalianOld SwedishWelshSwedish
Place of composition France
Date of composition 1175 - 1225
Islamic date of composition
Hebrew date of composition
Source for date of composition Campbell (1907)Speer and Foehr-Janssens (2017)
Modern Scholarship and Editions
Modern research literature Speer and Foehr-Janssens (2017)Foehr-Janssens (1994)Campbell (1907)Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984)Runte, Society of the Seven Sages Portal (2014)Coco (2016)
Modern Editions Runte, Les sept sages de Rome: An On-Line Edition of French Version A (2006)Coco, Il Roman des sept sages (2016)Brunner, The Seven Sages of Rome (Southern Version) (1933)Whitelock, The Seven Sages of Rome (Midland Version) (2005)Campbell, The Seven Sages of Rome (Northern Version) (1907)
Notes and Commentary
Note
Notes on motifs
Notes on the frame
Pattern of embedded stories in this version

Connected prints

No connected prints