The Methods of Medieval Translators: A Comparison of the Latin Text of Virgil's 'Aeneid' with its Old French Adaptations

Raymond J. Cormier, The Methods of Medieval Translators: A Comparison of the Latin Text of Virgil's 'Aeneid' with its Old French Adaptations (Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2011). vii + 385 pp. ISBN 978-0-7734-1577-5. $49-95/ £39-95In

this volume Raymond Cormier first examines 'cognitive schemata' in the context of second-language acquisition, covering both linguistic theory and pedagogical practice, and then offers an extensive review of translation theory and practice, focused to a large extent on the Middle Ages but by no means limited to that period. These introductory chapters pave the way for a discussion of the phenomenon of anachronism in medieval translations and adaptations of prior texts, reviewing both the earlier generations of critics who have deplored this practice or seen it as indicative of medieval simplicity and short-sightedness, and the more recent work that has exploited anachronistic touches as sources of insight into the mentality of the translator or his intended audience, or celebrated them as instances of innovation and creative...