Die Chrétien- und Wolfram-Überlieferung des Perceval-/Parzival-Romans und ihre textkritische Erschließung

This paper discusses the manuscript transmission of Chrétien’s Roman de Perceval ou le Conte du Graal and Wolfram’s Parzival in terms of their textual tradition and editorial criticism. It shows that the most recent edition of the Old French Perceval (K. Busby 1993) can be viewed as a landmark of the art of conventional editing that appeared at the peak of the discussion of ‘New Philology’ and took its own position in this context. At the same time, the Perceval was subject of critical studies based on the principle of ‘unrooted trees’ that questioned the genealogical concept of traditional ‘Lachmannian’ stemmatology. Conversely, a new edition of Wolfram’s Parzival, based on all known manuscripts, remained a desideratum for decades in German studies. Specific research on the textual tradition played a rather marginal role for a long time, but has been reinforced in the recent years in the context of a new critical edition presenting the totality of manuscripts as well as different textual versions in electronic form. The concept of ‘unrooted trees’ visualizing relationships of manuscript readings can be integrated in this concept. The article gives an overview of these methods, presents examples of editorial techniques, and develops ideas on how to combine the research on the manuscript tradition of both the German text and its French counterpart.

Stable Isotope and Trace Element Studies on Gladiators and Contemporary Romans from Ephesus (Turkey, 2nd and 3rd Ct. AD) - Implications for Differences in Diet

The gladiator cemetery discovered in Ephesus (Turkey) in 1993 dates to the 2nd and 3rd century AD. The aim of this study is to reconstruct diverse diet, social stratification, and migration of the inhabitants of Roman Ephesus and the distinct group of gladiators. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis were applied, and inorganic bone elements (strontium, calcium) were determined. In total, 53 individuals, including 22 gladiators, were analysed. All individuals consumed C3 plants like wheat and barley as staple food. A few individuals show indication of consumption of C4 plants. The δ13C values of one female from the gladiator cemetery and one gladiator differ from all other individuals. Their δ34S values indicate that they probably migrated from another geographical region or consumed different foods. The δ15N values are relatively low in comparison to other sites from Roman times. A probable cause for the depletion of 15N in Ephesus could be the frequent consumption of legumes. The Sr/Ca-ratios of the gladiators were significantly higher than the values of the contemporary Roman inhabitants. Since the Sr/Ca-ratio reflects the main Ca-supplier in the diet, the elevated values of the gladiators might suggest a frequent use of a plant ash beverage, as mentioned in ancient texts.

Michel Butor à la frontière

Dans l’œuvre de Michel Butor, la frontière peut être considérée comme un équivalent de la césure, comme le pli de la double page constituait un équivalent de la césure dans Un coup de dés chez Mallarmé. Elle se retrouve dans de très nombreuses œuvres, des romans au Génie du lieu, et dans de nombreuses œuvres poétiques, dont À la frontière et Frontières. Chez Butor, la frontière a un rôle d’articulateur ; mais cette articulation ne va pas de soi, et il faut passer par des «méditations» sur la frontière, qui permettent d’établir une typologie des diverses fonctions de la frontière.]

The Circle: Die neue Kolonisierung des inneren Menschen

Mit Hilfe des zeitgenössischen Romans 'The Circle' von Dave Eggers werden Entgrenzungs- und Verdichtungstendenzen moderner subjektivierter Arbeit illustriert, die einen Zusammenhang mit Burnout- und Erschöpfungsdepressionsdiagnosen plausibilisieren. Angesichts der Uneindeutigkeit der empirischen Evidenz wird vorgeschlagen, die Problematik der modernen Gestalt der Erwerbsarbeit – vor allem für diejenigen am unteren Ende der jeweiligen Hierarchien – nicht nur anhand ihrer Krankheitsträchtigkeit, sondern mit Hilfe des Konzepts der Lebensformen und ihrer normativen Aufladung zu kritisieren: Massiv entgrenzte und verdichtete Arbeit erscheint dann als Bruch des 'Arbeitsversprechens', das sich mit Entstehung der Arbeitsgesellschaft im 19. Jh. herausgebildet hat.

Jeremias Gotthelf und die Tradition des Schelmenromans

Die Charakteristika des niederen pikaresken Romans treffen auf Jeremias Gotthelfs satirische Romane zu, insoweit sie Bekehrungsgeschichten sind.

The cultivation of Castanea sativa (Mill.) in Europe, from its origin to its diffusion on a continental scale

The history of Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut) cultivation since medieval times has been well described on the basis of the very rich documentation available. Far fewer attempts have been made to give a historical synthesis of the events that led to the cultivation of sweet chestnut in much earlier times. In this article we attempt to reconstruct this part of the European history of chestnut cultivation and its early diffusion by use of different sources of information, such as pollen studies, archaeology, history and literature. Using this multidisciplinary approach, we have tried to identify the roles of the Greek and Roman civilizations in the dissemination of chestnut cultivation on a European scale. In particular, we show that use of the chestnut for food was not the primary driving force behind the introduction of the tree into Europe by the Romans. Apart from the Insubrian Region in the north of the Italian peninsula, no other centre of chestnut cultivation existed in Europe during the Roman period. The Romans may have introduced the idea of systematically cultivating and using chestnut. In certain cases they introduced the species itself; however no evidence of systematic planting of chestnut exists. The greatest interest in the management of chestnut for fruit production most probably developed after the Roman period and can be associated with the socio-economic structures of medieval times. It was then that self-sufficient cultures based on the cultivation of chestnut as a source of subsistence were formed.