Extra Seriem Kamptner

Margit Kamptner, Paulinus von Nola, Carmen 18: Text, Einleitung und Kommentar. – Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 2005.
Paulinus of Nola’s collection of the so-called Carmina natalicia is, from its fourth poem (c. 15), devoted to the life and deeds of S. Felix of Nola. Within this metrical biography, c. 18 holds a key position, in so far as it marks the transition from earthly to heavenly existence and miraculous powers of the Saint: In two parts of more or less equal length, Paulinus first focuses on Felix’s funeral and heavenly ascent, then recounts an exemplary miracle performed by the saint after his death. The commentary presents a detailed analysis of the poem on linguistic, stylistic, poetic and literary historic matters, the main concern being as follows: Paulinus’ use of classical, biblical and patristic sources and models as well as his adaptation of the traditional literary genres. Then, there is emphasis on the interpretation of the poem as a whole, its unity and its position within the context of the collection of “birthday poems”.