Passions and Polemics: Latin and Vernacular Alexander Literature in the Later Twelfth Century

This article analyses two poems about Alexander the Great from the 1180s, the Latin epic Alexandreis and the French Roman d’Alexandre, suggesting that they are participating in an ongoing and passionate literary debate about how to perform translatio studii in northern France. Using a comparison of their tomb ecphrases as an example, the paper claims that the poems take opposing stances in this culture war. It also suggests that the conflict is not primarily between Latin and vernacular material, but transcends linguistic barriers