The Aesopic Fable and the Study of Greek in Early Modern Swedish Schools
Zillén, Erik LU
(2024)
In Studia Graeca et Latina Lundensia
29.
p.89-121
- Abstract
- Focussing on the public school in early modern Sweden, this article
investigates the role of the Aesopic fable in elementary education in Greek. As
a background, the solid position of fable as genre in the teaching of Latin in
medieval Europe is sketched. When humanism launched Greek as school
subject, fable was adopted as reading material in the teaching of the new
language, partly for the same reasons it was used in the study of Latin—where
it continued to be central—and partly because of stronger aspirations for
classicality. With a certain delay, this general pattern also characterizes the
ways in which the Aesopic genre was made use of in Swedish schools during
the early modern epoch. By analysing... (More) - Focussing on the public school in early modern Sweden, this article
investigates the role of the Aesopic fable in elementary education in Greek. As
a background, the solid position of fable as genre in the teaching of Latin in
medieval Europe is sketched. When humanism launched Greek as school
subject, fable was adopted as reading material in the teaching of the new
language, partly for the same reasons it was used in the study of Latin—where
it continued to be central—and partly because of stronger aspirations for
classicality. With a certain delay, this general pattern also characterizes the
ways in which the Aesopic genre was made use of in Swedish schools during
the early modern epoch. By analysing the prescriptions for classical languages
in the period’s school regulations, as well as the Greek fable books for school
use produced in early modern Sweden, the article shows that fable managed to
win a fairly firm position within the Greek curriculum during the seventeenth
century. Nevertheless, as is also demonstrated, the implementation of reading
fables in Greek was relatively slow and not without backlash. The use of fable
in Greek education was, moreover, pedagogically dependent on the more well-
established use of the genre in the teaching of Latin. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Focussing on the public school in early modern Sweden, this article
investigates the role of the Aesopic fable in elementary education in Greek. As
a background, the solid position of fable as genre in the teaching of Latin in
medieval Europe is sketched. When humanism launched Greek as school
subject, fable was adopted as reading material in the teaching of the new
language, partly for the same reasons it was used in the study of Latin—where
it continued to be central—and partly because of stronger aspirations for
classicality. With a certain delay, this general pattern also characterizes the
ways in which the Aesopic genre was made use of in Swedish schools during
the early modern epoch. By analysing... (More) - Focussing on the public school in early modern Sweden, this article
investigates the role of the Aesopic fable in elementary education in Greek. As
a background, the solid position of fable as genre in the teaching of Latin in
medieval Europe is sketched. When humanism launched Greek as school
subject, fable was adopted as reading material in the teaching of the new
language, partly for the same reasons it was used in the study of Latin—where
it continued to be central—and partly because of stronger aspirations for
classicality. With a certain delay, this general pattern also characterizes the
ways in which the Aesopic genre was made use of in Swedish schools during
the early modern epoch. By analysing the prescriptions for classical languages
in the period’s school regulations, as well as the Greek fable books for school
use produced in early modern Sweden, the article shows that fable managed to
win a fairly firm position within the Greek curriculum during the seventeenth
century. Nevertheless, as is also demonstrated, the implementation of reading
fables in Greek was relatively slow and not without backlash. The use of fable
in Greek education was, moreover, pedagogically dependent on the more wellestablished use of the genre in the teaching of Latin. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5d6fd2be-00fd-478a-9fb1-ecacd4a1929e
- author
- Zillén, Erik
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Aesopic fable; Greek education; early modern Sweden; school regulations; fable books, Aesopic fable, Greek education, early modern Sweden, school regulations, fable books
- host publication
- Reading, Writing, Translating : Greek in Early Modern Schools, Universities, and beyond - Greek in Early Modern Schools, Universities, and beyond
- series title
- Studia Graeca et Latina Lundensia
- editor
- Akujärvi, Johanna and Savin, Kristiina
- volume
- 29
- pages
- 33 pages
- publisher
- Humanistiska och teologiska fakulteterna
- ISSN
- 1100-7931
- ISBN
- 978-91-89874-37-4
- 978-91-89874-38-1
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5d6fd2be-00fd-478a-9fb1-ecacd4a1929e
- alternative location
- https://lucris.lub.lu.se/ws/portalfiles/portal/193399997/Reading_writing_translating._Greek_in_Early_Modern_Schools_Universities_and_beyond.pdf
- https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-536295
- date added to LUP
- 2024-08-15 14:14:59
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:47:18
@inbook{5d6fd2be-00fd-478a-9fb1-ecacd4a1929e,
abstract = {{Focussing on the public school in early modern Sweden, this article<br/>investigates the role of the Aesopic fable in elementary education in Greek. As<br/>a background, the solid position of fable as genre in the teaching of Latin in<br/>medieval Europe is sketched. When humanism launched Greek as school<br/>subject, fable was adopted as reading material in the teaching of the new<br/>language, partly for the same reasons it was used in the study of Latin—where<br/>it continued to be central—and partly because of stronger aspirations for<br/>classicality. With a certain delay, this general pattern also characterizes the<br/>ways in which the Aesopic genre was made use of in Swedish schools during<br/>the early modern epoch. By analysing the prescriptions for classical languages<br/>in the period’s school regulations, as well as the Greek fable books for school<br/>use produced in early modern Sweden, the article shows that fable managed to<br/>win a fairly firm position within the Greek curriculum during the seventeenth<br/>century. Nevertheless, as is also demonstrated, the implementation of reading<br/>fables in Greek was relatively slow and not without backlash. The use of fable<br/>in Greek education was, moreover, pedagogically dependent on the more well-<br/>established use of the genre in the teaching of Latin.}},
author = {{Zillén, Erik}},
booktitle = {{Reading, Writing, Translating : Greek in Early Modern Schools, Universities, and beyond}},
editor = {{Akujärvi, Johanna and Savin, Kristiina}},
isbn = {{978-91-89874-37-4}},
issn = {{1100-7931}},
keywords = {{Aesopic fable; Greek education; early modern Sweden; school regulations; fable books; Aesopic fable; Greek education; early modern Sweden; school regulations; fable books}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{89--121}},
publisher = {{Humanistiska och teologiska fakulteterna}},
series = {{Studia Graeca et Latina Lundensia}},
title = {{The Aesopic Fable and the Study of Greek in Early Modern Swedish Schools}},
url = {{https://lucris.lub.lu.se/ws/portalfiles/portal/193399997/Reading_writing_translating._Greek_in_Early_Modern_Schools_Universities_and_beyond.pdf}},
volume = {{29}},
year = {{2024}},
}