The dilemma of the iberian proto-humanist: hermeneutic translation as presage of necromantic imitation

Abstract

In the late Middle Ages, and on into the Renaissance, translation from Latin into the modern languages was often fostered in the schools and universities as a prelude or accessory to the cultivation of the art of imiieiio.' Such imitations, of course, were originally meant to be carried out in Latin, and were intended to refine the Latin style of the student (Quintero 100). With the rise of Humanism, however, it was increasingly recognized that the imitation of prestigious models in vernacular texts would also serve to elevate the status of the modern languages, and imbue them and their literary traditions with an authority nearly equivalent to that enjoyed by the Classical tradition itself. The high esteem accruing to this type of imitation was further authorized by the similar importance known to have been accorded the concept of translatío sfudií in Latin culture with respect to the Greek