Celestial Crusades and Wars in Heaven

This work examines two examples of biblical epic literature: Antonino Alfano's Battaglia celeste (1568) and Erasmus of Valvasone's Angeleida (1590), situating their works and this genre within their ancient, medieval, and early modern context. While these two biblical epics have drawn only scant attention, limited mostly to literary circles, the biblical epic genre bears out the influence of such classical masterpieces as Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid. At the same time, readers will undoubledly discover these two biblical epic's relationship to, and likely influence on John Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost. Furthermore, Angeleida and Battaglia celeste exemplify the biblical epic genre in their intent to educate and entertain. Likewise, both works develop the primordial and mythical battle between the archangel Michael and Lucifer to explore the timeless theme of conflict between good and evil, virtue and sin, while elucidating and reflecting the political and religious realities of the authors' rapidly changing world in Italy's post-Tridentine complex historical time.

Author: Silvia Giovanardi Byer

Publisher: VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller E.K.

Publication Date: Aug 01, 2008

Number of Pages: 128 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: 3639059506

ISBN-13: 9783639059502