Political Speech in Heinrichs von Veldeke Eneasroman and in Virgil's Aeneid. A Comparative Study

Heinrichs von Veldeke Eneasroman (also known as Eneit, Eneide, or Eneas) is regarded in literary circles as a pioneer of the courtly adventure novel in the German-speaking world. Particularly, the depiction of knightly and regal behaviors, courtly clothing and architecture, as well as the poetic elaboration of the emerging concept of Minnesang in the German-speaking world, were influential for subsequent courtly romances. The romance written by Heinrich von Veldeke towards the end of the 12th century was adapted from the Old French Roman d’Eneas, which in turn used Virgil’s Aeneid as a source. Within the framework of the heteronomous categories established by the Graduate College, the Eneasroman can thus be situated within the realm of Renarratio. The text particularly gains autonomy through its diverse strategies of Medievalization.

In a comparative study, my dissertation aims to examine political speech scenes in the Eneasroman and the Aeneid from various perspectives. Of particular interest is the question of how the medieval romance, due to its tendencies of Medievalization, differentiates itself from its Latin source text in the realm of political speech. Additionally, it will be investigated which speech scenes can be defined as political, especially those that do not possess a political character in the respective other work. The analysis of the works will also include the Old French Roman d’Eneas as an intermediary medium between the two texts. The research project aims to make an important contribution to the ever-growing field of oratory research and to expand the understanding of courtly language.