| Commentary: |
Snow 2007: "Vandrey returns to many of the arguments propounded in his doctoral diss. [1972] in order to suggest that on stylistic grounds there may be sufficient evidence to warrant further consideration of the 'single authorship' theory for the CSM. His point of departure here is the reference in 362 to the prior composition of 35. Based on a comparison of stylistic similarities common to both, and an extension of these stylistic features to the entire collection, V. perceives a regularity of usage (rhymes, metrical preferences, imagery, vocabulary, and more) suggestive of a single poetic hand. Before such contentions be allowed to fuel the flames of what might prove a useless polemic on authorship of individual compositions, much more must be done with the topic of style as an outcome of the limited focus of the CSM and as a model for potential collaborators. It may be possible to speak meaningfully of an ‘Alfonsine’ style (a subject V.'s work will help to define) without, at the same time, assigning all of the CSM poems to Alfonso himself." |
