| | Margreth Egidi, Hofische Liebe: Entwurfe der Sangspruchdichtung. Literarische Verfahrensweisen Von Reinmar Von Zweter Bis Frauenlob.
by Annette Volfing Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift Suppl. 17 (Heidelberg: Universitatsverlag C. Winter, 2002). 415 pp. ISBN 3-8253-271-2. 50.00 [euro]. In devoting a monograph to the treatment of courtly love within the genre of 'Sangspruchdichtung', the author sets herself three interrelated aims: to identify and describe that concept of courtly love which preoccupied Spruchdichter from Reinmar von Zweter to Frauenlob; to consider her theme from the perspective of a literary historian; and to add impetus to the discussion of the aesthetics of the genre. These aims inevitably beg the question of the relationship between Sangspruchdichtung and the much more high-profile genre of Minnesang. While these two have traditionally been studied separately and according to quite different methodologies, Margreth Egidi opens with a sophisticated and well-argued 'Forschungsbericht' in which she covers a number of theoretical aspects common to both genres, including performance issues and the construction of speaker roles. She concludes that, as far as the theme of love is concerned, the main difference between the two genres is structural rather than conceptual: while there is no fundamental difference between the kind of courtly love discussed by the Spruchdichter and the Minnesanger, the two genres diverge when it comes to the construction of individual texts, with Sangspruchdichtung placing markedly less value on synthesis and thematic cohesion within a single Spruch. This means that Spruche are often thematically segmented, with individual 'segments' inviting interpretation by reference to similar passages elsewhere within the genre, rather than necessarily by reference to adjacent material. At the same time, the didactic stance typically adopted by the personae within this genre also tends, to encourage a more precise, systematic, and analytical approach to the subject matter overall. The three subsequent chapters deal with particular rhetorical stances or themes (the didactic exhortation to the lady; detached analysis of the process of love; and praise of the lady, as an individual or as a representative of her sex). Each of these aspects is approached chronologically. The fact that Frauenlob receives considerably more attention than do his precursors (Walther, Reinmar von Zweter, der Marner, Konrad von Wurzburg, der Litschauer, der Junge Meissner) is understandable, given the richness and flamboyance of his output. Quite apart from the wider generic and theoretical issues already referred to, a major strength of this book lies in its careful readings of particular parts of the Frauenlob corpus--for example, the strophes devoted to the wip--vrouwe controversy--while the analysis of the earlier writers not only illustrates the variety, already inherent within the tradition, but also serves to highlight the full extent of Frauenlob's literary and intellectual innovations. According to Egidi, Frauenlob's particular achievements lie in the way in which be establishes dynamic cross-references between two particular 'segments' within the genre. While the segments in question (exhortation to the lady versus praise of the lady) had previously tended to be presented in isolation from each other, Frauenlob succeeds in developing a systematically coherent discourse which encompasses ethical reflection as well as erotic fulfilment. ANNETTE VOLFING Oxford -1- | |
