Die deutsche Literatur (DDL). Reihe II, Abt. A: Autorenlexikon. Vol. II: fascs 6-10 by Hans-Gert Roloff Die deutsche Literatur (DDL). Reihe II, Abt. A: Autorenlexikon. Vol. III: fascs 1-5 by Hans-Gert Roloff (review)

Abstract

MLRy 98.4, 2003 1033 to apply this term (and her reference to Hayden White will not convince everybody), but then smuggles it back in again ('Ansatze zur Fiktionalitat'), even if she safeguards herself with a 'perhaps'. At other points she uses the terms 'fiktional' and 'romanhaft' in close conjunction, without making it clear what difference,ifany,she sees between them. This omission is all the more serious in that in the case of Apollonius she is dealing with a theme going back not to 'geglaubte Historizitat', but to a Hellenistic romance (compare also the Alexander romance of Pseudo-Callisthenes). These two concepts, fictionality and romance, come together in one last point to be made. The latter concept has been interpreted in two different ways in French medieval scholarship: either in the strictly etymological sense of a Latin work translated into a Romance vernacular (which would therefore embrace the romans antiques) or as a genre constituted by its fictionality. In calling the works she treats 'romances', but denying (or ignoring) any fictional elements, Lienert bypasses this problem, but leaves work for the future. She deserves our thanks, however, for this wide survey and for the questions she prompts us to ask. Trinity College, Cambridge D. H. Green DiedeutscheLiteratur {DDL). Ed. by Hans-Gert Roloff. Reihe II, Abt. A: Autorenlexikon . Vol. n: fascs 6-10 and vol. m: fascs 1-5. Stuttgart and Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog. 2001. 414 and 386 pp. ?188.16 each. No ISBN given. The aim of Die deutsche Literatur: Biographisches und bibliographisches Lexikon is to provide comprehensive documentation of works by authors in German-speaking territories between 1450 and 1620; it includes German and neo-Latin works, anony? mous works, authors of Fachliteratur, translations into German, and works by foreign authors living in Germany whose writings appeared in German. This attempt at comprehensiveness , while laudable, necessarily gives rise to problems: a truly complete catalogue cannot be compiled because holdings are strewn across the globe, and li? braries can be less than co-operative; and because a sufnciently large research team is lacking to trace and catalogue, for example, all the manuscript transmission of works by individual authors. Such problems are freely admitted by the editors in the intro? duction to the firstvolume of the Autorenlexikon, which appeared in 1991. To them may be added the delay in publishing subsequent volumes and the obvious concern as to whether the project can ever be completed. Despite these reservations, the Lexikon is useful. Authors are listed alphabetically, anonymous works such as Amadis being included in this list. Entries start by provid? ing biographical details, helpful in relievingthe scholar of endless hours' hunting for and in older biographies and literary lexicons; a general description ofthe works and their content; the identification of possible sources and reasons for such identifica? tion. Literary and religious influences on the author, the tradition he stands in, and authors he influenced are also indicated. The next section in each entry comprises the bibliographical description of works, subsequent editions, and library locations. The typography of titles reflects that of the original title-page: for example, capital letters are used where the title-page has capitals. Authored works, autobiographical material (letters, verse dedicated to, and the like (including manuscript)), translated/ adapted/edited works are listed in separate sections, thus clarifying both the type and the extent of the author's output. Where material is in manuscript form, the shelfmark is given. Illustrations of title-pages are included, particularly valuable as they are carriers of much cultural information as well as bibliographical. A nice touch is the inclusion where possible of contemporary portraits of authors. Occasional editorial decisions prove irritating: for example, though Bruno Amerbach has edited five out 1034 Reviews of the nine volumes of Jerome's collected works, only volumes v-ix are described. For the sake of completeness, especially as not all volumes of the Lexikon have appeared, a brief listing and description of volumes i-iv would have been useful, or at the very least an indication of where they will be described in furthervolumes of the Lexikon. However, such quibbles apart, Die deutscheLiteratur is to be welcomed and will prove invaluable when finally...