Marianne Wifstrand Schiebe
Associate professor in Latin
marianne.wifstrand_schiebe@lingfil.uu.se
Current projects
1. Die Frage nach Berechtigung und Ursprung der anthropomorphen Gottesvorstellung im antiken Denken (project funded by the Swedish research council)
Ancient philosophers almost invariably thought of the divine as not being similar to man, but since the official cult they all took part in kept presenting the gods in this way and ordinary people seemed to take this presentation at face value (in some sense or other), they struggled with the truth status of anthropomorphic representation and reflected on how and why this image of the divine had come into existence and had been accepted. In modern eyes, the most obvious and attractive solution to the problem would certainly be to regard the anthropomorphic shape as a symbolic expression of the divine without any claim to being a factual representation. In fact it took a very long time for ancient thought to come up with such an interpretation and it seems never to have got widely established, presumably because the human form did not seem symbolic enough, being too naturalistic and too easily taken at its face value.
The project is the first one ever to investigate this ancient discourse systematically. Whenever necessary for my purpose, I will take into account how ancient philosophers judged the mythological narrative about the anthropomorphic gods, but I am eager to stress that my aim is not to write yet another study of ancient attitudes to myth. It is important to keep in mind that philosophical reaction to the anthropomorphic representation of the gods is not a priori linked to the reactions to myth but a problem in its own right, a distinction most scholars are not aware of. Ancient philosophers often regard the tales about the gods as veiled philosophical reports about the cosmos and god and thus do not always reject poetical mythology. A positive attitude to the anthropomorphic representation as such, on the other hand, is extremely rare and is not attested at all until very late.
Published:
"Sind die epikureischen Götter 'thought-constructs'?", Mnemosyne 56 (2003), 703–727.
"Sinn und Wahrheitsgehalt der Kultbilder aus der Sicht der antiken Philosophie. Zur antiken Debatte an Hand des Beispiels Marcus Terentius Varro", in S. Eklund (ed.), Συγχάρματα. Studies in honour of Jan Fredrik Kindstrand [Studia Graeca Upsaliensia 21] (Uppsala 2006), 189–209. Publication available online here.
See also IIb no. 7 below.
In preparation:
Monograph Die Frage nach Berechtigung und Ursprung der anthropomorphen Gottesvorstellung im antiken Denken.
2. The definition of allegory in Western rhetorical and grammatical tradition (part of the program The Ancient tradition)
My second current project aims at a large scale diachronic study of the history of the prescriptive and descriptive theory of allegory from the first occurrence of Lat. allegoria (Rhetoric to Herennius 4.46, ca. 80 BC.) down to around 1800, the time when Latin ceases to be the dominant language of education and erudition. The investigation takes its starting point in the observation that rhetorical theory of allegory (essentially stemming from Quintilian, Inst. 8.6.44 ff.) and grammatical theory of allegory (codified by Donatus) came to diverge, although the stock examples remained on the whole the same in both branches. Inter alia, I study what ancient sources meant to medieval and later allegorical theory against the background of transmission and accessibility of ancient texts. Further, I hope to be able to map out and investigate what interaction there was or was not between the relevant rhetorical and grammatical theory. Also, I am interested in the influence of medieval linguistic theory on the definition of allegory.
Published:
"Ein Streifzug durch die Welt der frühen Quintiliandrucke", in P. Sandin & M. Wifstrand Schiebe (eds.), Dais philêsistephanos. Studies in honour of professor Staffan Fogelmark presented on the occasion of his 65th birthday 12 April 2004 (Uppsala 2004), 292–321.
In preparation:
Monograph The definition of Allegory in Western rhetorical and grammatical tradition. Introduction here.
Written works
Note that the items Ia no. 4 and Ib no. 8 below appear also under the heading II. These are works written to be accessible to a general readership which present genuine results of my own research work. They are thus at the same time popular writings and academic works. I have also for the sake of overview listed my articles written in Latin in a specific list (III), although one of them is included in section Ib (no. 7).
I. Scholarly academic works, including work in typescript and work in progress
Ia. Monographs (published)
1. Das ideale Dasein bei Tibull und die Goldzeitkonzeption Vergils [Studia Latina Upsaliensia 13] (Uppsala 1981), 163 pp. (doctoral thesis)
2. Annius von Viterbo und die schwedische Historiographie des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts [Skrifter utgivna av Kungliga Humanistiska Vetenskaps-Samfundet i Uppsala 48] (Uppsala 1992), 72 pp. + Textappendix 5 pp.
3. Vergil und die Tradition von den römischen Urkönigen [Hermes Einzelschriften 76] (Stuttgart 1997), 194 pp. Abstract here.
4. Vergil og Tityrus. En studie i selvbiografisk læsning af Bucolica [Studier fra sprog- og oldtidsforskning 338] (København 1998), 104 pp.
Ia. Monographs (in progress)
5. The Definition of Allegory in Western rhetorical and grammatical tradition. Introduction here.
6. "Wie ein Gefäß der Vernunft." Die Frage nach Berechtigung und Ursprung der anthropomorphen Gottesvorstellung im antiken Denken.
Ib. Scholarly articles
1. "Der Black-out des Aeneas. Zur Frage der Diskrepanz zwischen zweitem und drittem Buch der Aeneis", Eranos 81 (1983), 113–116.
2. "An undiscovered error in Varro, res rust. I 2.2.", Mnemosyne 39 (1986), 400–401.
3. "The Saturn of the Aeneid – tradition or innovation?", Vergilius 32 (1986), 43–60.
4. "Tyrrhenus the degraded hero. On changing concepts in the works of Annius of Viterbo", Aevum 66 (1993), 383–396.
5. "Lactanz und Varro. Beobachtungen zu inst. 1,13,8 an Hand einiger Stellen der Civitas Dei Augustins", Rheinisches Museum für Philologie 137 (1994), 162–186.
6. "Lactanz, Varro und die Tradition des Argeer-Ritus", Rheinisches Museum für Philologie 142 (1999), 189–209.
7. "Quid Censorino cap. 21 scribendum fuerit, si re vera systema chronologicum Varronis secutus esset", in J. Blänsdorf (ed.), Loquela vivida. Donum natalicium Nicolao Sallmann sexagesimum quintum annum agenti a fautoribus linguae Latinae vivae oblatum (Würzburg 1999), 74–80.
8. "Seneca om själarnas odödlighet. Brev 90,28 och dess eskatologiska kontext" ("Seneca on the immortality of souls. His letter 90,28 and its eschatological context"), in A. Jönsson & A. Piltz (eds.), Språkets speglingar. Festskrift till Birger Bergh (Lund 2000), 400–408.
9. "Sind die epikureischen Götter 'thought-constructs'?", Mnemosyne 56 (2003), 703–727.
10. "Ein Streifzug durch die Welt der frühen Quintiliandrucke", in P. Sandin & M. Wifstrand Schiebe (eds.), Dais philêsistephanos. Studies in honour of professor Staffan Fogelmark presented on the occasion of his 65th birthday 12 April 2004 (Uppsala 2004), 292–321.
11. "Sheep and cattle as ideological markers in Roman poetry", in B. Santillo Frizell (ed.), Pecus: man and animal in antiquity. Proceedings of the conference at the Swedish institute in Rome, September 9–12, 2002 [The Swedish institute in Rome. Projects and seminars 1] (Rome 2004), 145–149. Publication available online here.
12. "Sinn und Wahrheitsgehalt der Kultbilder aus der Sicht der antiken Philosophie. Zur antiken Debatte an Hand des Beispiels Marcus Terentius Varro", in S. Eklund (ed.), Συγχάρματα. Studies in honour of Jan Fredrik Kindstrand [Studia Graeca Upsaliensia 21] (Uppsala 2006), 189–209. Publication available online here.
13. "The Discrepancy between Aeneid Books 2 and 3 in the Light of the Narrative Structure of the Aeneid" (2009). Revision of Ib no. 1 above, available here only.
Ic. Reviews of academic works
1. Review of A. Kahane & A. Laird (eds.), A Companion to the Prologue of Apuleius’ Metamorphoses (Oxford: Oxford UP 2002), in Opuscula Romana 28 (2003), 93–94.
2. Review of Aude Lehmann, Varron critique littéraire. Regard sur les poètes latins archaïques (Bruxelles 2002), in Gnomon 78 (2006), 556–558.
3. Review of Anders Cullhed, Kreousas skugga. Fiktionsteoretiska nedslag i senantikens latinska litteratur (Stockholm & Stehag: Brutus Östlings förlag 2006), in Samlaren 127 (2006), 540–546.
4. Review article of G.R. Boys-Stones (ed.), Metaphor, allegory, and the classical tradition (Oxford: Oxford UP 2003), in Opuscula Romana 31–32 (2006–2007), 209–215.
Id. Editing
1. Editor (with Pär Sandin) of Dais philêsistephanos. Studies in honour of professor Staffan Fogelmark presented on the occasion of his 65th birthday 12 April 2004 (Uppsala 2004), 447 pp.
Ie. Scholarly programs and reports (unpublished)
1. 'Som ett förnuftets kärl.' Den antika debatten om den antropomorfa gudsbildens berättigande och ursprung. ('As a vessel of intelligence.' The classical debate on the antrhopomorphic image of the gods, its justification and origins.) Research program (Swedish Research Council), April 2001. 8 pp.
2. 'Som ett förnuftets kärl.' Den antika debatten om den antropomorfa gudsbildens berättigande och ursprung. ('As a vessel of intelligence.' The classical debate on the anthropomorphic image of the gods, its justification and origins.) Revised program, with reported results, April 2005. 7 pp.
II. Popular writings
IIa. Monograph
1. Vergil og Tityrus. En studie i selvbiografisk læsning af Bucolica [Studier fra sprog- og oldtidsforskning 338] (Köpenhamn 1998), 104 pp. (= Ia no. 4 above)
IIb. Articles
1. "Saturnus – idealgestalt och skräckfigur", Medusa 6:3 (1985), 14–27.
2. "En 'antik' författarverkstad i 1400-talets Italien", Romhorisont, no. 16, 1988, 10–12 (on the forgeries of Annius of Viterbo).
3. "En romare och hans språkteori: Lucretius om språkets uppkomst", in Kultur och samhälle i språkets spegel. En essäsamling från Språkvetenskapliga fakulteten (Uppsala 1999), 191–199 ("Lucretius on the origins of language", public lecture in the series "Språkvetare föreläser", "Lectures by linguists", spring 1996)
4. "Nec adfirmare nec refellere – 'att varken bekräfta eller vederlägga'. Något om synen på förhållandet myt–historia under antiken", Medusa 18:1 (1997), 2–11 och 18:2 (1997), 2–9 ("Neither to confirm nor to refute – reflections on ancient views on the relation between myth and history").
5. "Seneca om själarnas odödlighet. Brev 90,28 och dess eskatologiska kontext", in A. Jönsson & A. Piltz (eds.), Språkets speglingar. Festskrift till Birger Bergh (Lund 2000), 400–408 ("Seneca on the immortality of souls. His letter 90,28 and its eschatological context" = Ib no. 8 above)
6. "'Vid Zeus – det är grekiska de talar!' Om epikuréernas föreställning om gudarna", Medusa 23:4 (2002), 27–37 ("'By Zeus – their language is Greek!' On the Epicureans' concept of the gods")
7. "Gudasöner – fanns de?", in P. Beskow, S. Borgehammar & A. Jönsson (eds.), Förbistringar och förklaringar. Festskrift till Anders Piltz (Lund 2008), 702–708.
IIc. Review of book intended for the general readership
1. Review of Publius Ovidius Naso, Kvinnoöden under antiken (Epistulae heroidum). Tolkade och kommenterade av John W. Köhler (Göteborg 1993), in Medusa 16 (1995), 43–46.
See also Ic no. 15 above.
III. Articles written in Latin (published)
1. "De Annii Viterbiensis Antiquitatum libris a. 1498 editis. Acroasis habita in studiorum universitate Mogontiacensi die 12° m. Nov. 1991, in studiorum universitate Saraviensi die 19°, in studiorum universitate Treverica die 27° eiusdem mensis eiusdemque anni, nunc leviter mutata atque adnotatiunculis instructa", Vox Latina, tomus 28, fasc. 107 (Saarbrücken: Societas Latina 1992), 2–13.
2. "De furto Codicis Argentei", Vox Latina, tomus 31, fasc. 120 (Saarbrücken: Societas Latina 1995), 270–271 (a small nuga, reporting in academic Latin of a pedagogic style how the Silver Bible was stolen from the University Library of Uppsala).
3. "Quid Censorino cap. 21 scribendum fuerit, si re vera systema chronologicum Varronis secutus esset", in J. Blänsdorf (ed.), Loquela vivida. Donum natalicium Nicolao Sallmann sexagesimum quintum annum agenti a fautoribus linguae Latinae vivae oblatum (Würzburg 1999), 74–80 (= Ib no. 7 above).
IV. Article on educational matters
"Lateinunterricht – gestern und heute", Deutsche Schule/Tyska skolan i Stockholm. Jahresbericht, 1979/80, 10–13 (reflections on my own method of teaching at the German school of Stockholm).