Disjecta membra
Disjecta membra, also written disiecta membra, is
Ancient and medieval poetry, literature, and manuscripts
Fragments of ancient writing, especially ancient Latin poetry found in other works, are commonly referred to as disjecta membra.[2] The terms disiecta membra and disjecta membra are paraphrased from the Roman lyric poet Horace (65 BC – 8 BC), who wrote of disiecti membra poetae in his Satires, 1.4.62, referring to the "limbs of a dismembered poet".[3] In full, the term originally appeared as Invenias etiam disiecti membra poetae, in reference to the earlier Roman poet Ennius.[4]
Although Horace's intended meaning remains the subject of speculation and debate, the passage is often taken to imply that if a line from poetry were torn apart and rearranged, the dismembered parts of the poet would still be recognisable.[5] In this sense, in the study of literature, disjecta membra is often used to describe the piecing together of ancient fragments of an identifiable literary source. Similarly, isolated leaves or parts of leaves from ancient or medieval manuscripts may also be termed disjecta membra. Scholars have been able to identify fragments now held in different libraries that originally belonged to the same manuscript.[6]
Pottery
Scholars have long referred to
See also
References
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary.
- ^ Dictionary.com
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary. See also List of Latin phrases (D)
- ^ Horace, Sermonum Liber Primus (Satires), 1.4.62.
- ^ Ayr, Lyna (2013). Disjecta Membra. Wellesley, Auckland: Auckland University of Technology. p. 21. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ISBN 978-2503514406.
- JSTOR 4301546.