Jean Seznec
Encyclopedia
Jean Seznec was a historian and mythographer whose most influential book, for English-speaking readers, has been La Survivance des dieux antiques, 1940, translated as The Survival of the Pagan Gods: Mythological Tradition in Renaissance Humanism and Art,, 1953. Expanding in a tour de force the scope of work by Warburg Institute
scholars Fritz Saxl
and Erwin Panofsky
, Seznec presented a broad view of the transmission of classical representation in Western Art.
Seznec won a place at the French Academy in Rome
in 1929, where he studied under Emile Male
, whose methodology
influenced his own work. At the outbreak of World War II
, Seznec returned from his position in Florence
as director of the French Institute, to enlist. His great work was published in 1940, just as France fell. After the war he accepted a position in Romance Languages
and Literatures at Harvard University
, where he taught from 1941-49. He then was elected Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
at Oxford University, a chair that he held, along with a fellowship of All Souls College, Oxford
, from 1950 until his retirement in 1972. He edited exhibition catalogues and the edition of Paris Salon
art criticism written by the Encyclopédiste
Denis Diderot
between 1759–81, a primary resource that has become a major tool for understanding the history of taste.
Thanks largely to Seznec, it is widely understood that the Olympian gods
, and the earlier spirits of field and spring, did not die with the advent of Christianity
, but lived on. Seznec traces the process in which they were already transformed during Late Antiquity
, whether embedded within history as transfigured former human beings in the Euhemerist view that was embraced by Christian apologists, or given planetary roles as astral divinities in the worldview of astrology
and magic
or allegorized
as moral emblem
s. They surviving in pictorial and in literary traditions and among the common people went underground to feature in folk culture
, took on strange new guises and were transformed in various ways, their myths recast to suit some of the mythic saints of Late Antiquity
. Their imagery permeated Medieval intellectual and emotional life. The transformed mythology re-emerged in the iconography of the early Tuscan Renaissance
, with new attributes that the ancients had never imagined, and enjoyed tremendous renewed popularity during the Renaissance.
Seznec's thesis benefits from the illustrated formats it has been receiving in modern paperback formats. His work can be termed seminal. Studies such as Joscelyn Godwin
's The Pagan Dream Of The Renaissance (2002) depend on it. Godwin further explores Seznec's theme, how pagan deities captivated the European imagination during the Renaissance, taking their place side-by-side with Christian symbols and doctrines.
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
scholars Fritz Saxl
Fritz Saxl
Friedrich "Fritz" Saxl was the art historian who was the guiding light of the Warburg Institute, especially during the long mental breakdown of its founder, Aby Warburg, whom he succeeded as director.Saxl was instrumental in moving the Warburg Institute to safety in London at the outset of the...
and Erwin Panofsky
Erwin Panofsky
Erwin Panofsky was a German art historian, whose academic career was pursued mostly in the U.S. after the rise of the Nazi regime. Panofsky's work remains highly influential in the modern academic study of iconography...
, Seznec presented a broad view of the transmission of classical representation in Western Art.
Seznec won a place at the French Academy in Rome
French Academy in Rome
The French Academy in Rome is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio in Rome, Italy.-History:...
in 1929, where he studied under Emile Male
Émile Mâle
Émile Mâle was a French art historian, one of the first to study medieval, mostly sacral French art and the influence of eastern European iconography thereon. He was a member of the Académie Française, and a director of the Académie de France à Rome....
, whose methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
influenced his own work. At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Seznec returned from his position in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
as director of the French Institute, to enlist. His great work was published in 1940, just as France fell. After the war he accepted a position in Romance Languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
and Literatures at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he taught from 1941-49. He then was elected Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature
The Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature in the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford was founded in 1918. Basil Zaharoff, a Greek-born French arms trader and financier, gave £25,000 to the university to establish the chair and to support French studies in...
at Oxford University, a chair that he held, along with a fellowship of All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
, from 1950 until his retirement in 1972. He edited exhibition catalogues and the edition of Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
art criticism written by the Encyclopédiste
Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
between 1759–81, a primary resource that has become a major tool for understanding the history of taste.
Thanks largely to Seznec, it is widely understood that the Olympian gods
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, and the earlier spirits of field and spring, did not die with the advent of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, but lived on. Seznec traces the process in which they were already transformed during Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, whether embedded within history as transfigured former human beings in the Euhemerist view that was embraced by Christian apologists, or given planetary roles as astral divinities in the worldview of astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
or allegorized
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
as moral emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
s. They surviving in pictorial and in literary traditions and among the common people went underground to feature in folk culture
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, took on strange new guises and were transformed in various ways, their myths recast to suit some of the mythic saints of Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
. Their imagery permeated Medieval intellectual and emotional life. The transformed mythology re-emerged in the iconography of the early Tuscan Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, with new attributes that the ancients had never imagined, and enjoyed tremendous renewed popularity during the Renaissance.
Seznec's thesis benefits from the illustrated formats it has been receiving in modern paperback formats. His work can be termed seminal. Studies such as Joscelyn Godwin
Joscelyn Godwin
Joscelyn Godwin is a composer, musicologist and translator, known for his work on ancient music, paganism and music in the occult....
's The Pagan Dream Of The Renaissance (2002) depend on it. Godwin further explores Seznec's theme, how pagan deities captivated the European imagination during the Renaissance, taking their place side-by-side with Christian symbols and doctrines.