I have been trying recently to correlate the text of the Aurora consurgens with the fascinating series of illustrations which appear in a number of manuscripts. Unfortunately the Marie-Louise von Franz book on the Aurora consurgens is frustrating in this regard. It seems that von Franz was pursuing a certain agenda in making her edition of the work. She entirely ignores the illustrations and focusses on translating 'the seven parables' and then providing a massive commentary which draws the reader into a mass of Jungian interpretations. She is determined to have us read the text of the Aurora consurgens 'parables' with the idea that it was composed in an abnormal psychic state. She focusses our attention on the existential/religious content of the work. She chooses only to translate one part of the text associated with this work. There is in fact a second part which she ignores, stating,
This second part is, in my view, a commentary on the first part by another hand... In contrast to the entirely original, poetico-rhetorical, confessional style of Part I, Part II has a prosaically didactic character which follows the usual style of the contemporary alchemical treatises...
Hardly a valid reason not to include this !
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had read the Part II commentary and whether this related more clearly to the illustrations. This commentary is included in the Auriferae artis, Basel, 1572. Some years ago I was sent a short booklet which apparently contained an English translation of this, however, I have been unable to find it. Does anyone know of this, and who was the translator/editor ?
Last edited on Sun Oct 21st, 2007 09:49 pm by adammclean
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