New Books Network Jenny C. Mann, "The Trials of Orpheus: Poetry, Science, and the Early Modern Sublime" (Princeton UP, 2021)
Nov 8, 2025
Jenny Mann, a Professor of English at NYU and author of The Trials of Orpheus, dives into the intersections of poetry, science, and the early modern sublime. She explores the nonlinear process of writing and the structural influence of the Orpheus myth on her work. Mann discusses the complexities of Ovidian eloquence and its impact on masculinity, while also touching on contemporary art’s resonance with literary themes. Additionally, she shares insights into teaching experiences and recommends texts that evoke Orphic encounters.
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Orpheus As Model For Eloquence
- Early modern writers used the Orpheus myth to explain how eloquence exerts a world-changing force across distances and generations.
- This myth models literary transmission as action at a distance that links cause and effect without identifiable contact.
Transmission As Unwilled Possession
- Literary influence in the Orphic model is an ongoing event of interruption, subjection, and loss rather than progressive authorship.
- Poetic authority often dissolves into an unwilled possession that resists philosophical knowledge.
Trust Your Writing Process
- Accept your personal drafting process rather than imitating others, even if it feels nonlinear and meandering.
- Use early drafts as documentation of thinking and shape arguments through revision.
