Editing Paschasius Radbertus (section)

===''Vitae Adalhardi et Walae''===
Written in 826 and 836, respectively, ''Vita Adalhardi'' and ''Vita Walae'' are spiritual biographies of Paschasius' role-models.  They are personal tributes, written for the memory of two fathers, and the patterns of life depicted in them are intended to be followed.<ref>Cabaniss, pg. 14</ref>

''Vita Adalhardi'' is rather brief; it is a fairly conventional representation of a saint's life. However, the style that Paschasius uses is unique for the time in which it was written. Written in mourning for the loss of his friend, Paschasius compares Adalard to the painter [[Zeuxis (painter)|Zeuxis]]. As described by [[Cicero]], artists study models to perfect their art; Zeuxis' challenge was to paint the woman, [[Helen of Troy]].  Paschasius states that just as Zeuxis studied forms in order to perfect his art, so too does Adalard in trying to reform the image of God in himself. In making this comparison, Paschasius was identified with being a [[humanistic]] writer of the Carolingian period, as he compared classic and ancient literature with contemporary literature.<ref>Appleby, pg. 1-2</ref> Paschasius depicts Adalard as a mirror image of Christ, emphasizing the elements of infinite love and descent into suffering.<ref>Appleby, pg. 7</ref>  He also parallels Adalard's role in the church to that of a mother, which is a concept attributed to [[Cistercian]] spirituality in the 12th century, three hundred years after Paschasius' death.  The grief felt over the death of Adalard is extremely strong in the book – although Paschasius knows that suffering should give way to joy, as depicted by his forefathers, such as [[Jerome]], Paschasius' grief for the loss of his friend surpassed that of his literary models.  This style of writing is also not seen elsewhere prior to the 12th century.  Paschasius' justification of excess mourning is his most distinctive contribution to the tradition of consolation literature.<ref>Appleby, pg. 8-9</ref>

''Vita Walae'' is much longer (about twice as long as ''Vita Adalhardi''), and is structured as a dialogue. In total, there are eight characters represented, presumably monks of Corbie.  These characters are given pseudonyms, probably nor with the intention of masking identities. It is more likely that these pseudonyms were employed to further support Paschasius' interpretation of Wala, as the names were taken from classical texts.<ref>Cabaniss, pg. 20</ref> Phrases and passages from a variety of sources are woven into the text ([[Acts of St. Sebastien]], [[The Book of Job]], various comedies of [[Terence]]). Although not displaying information about Wala, these additions reflect Paschasius' own beliefs and his skill at writing.<ref>Cabaniss, pg. 15</ref>  While ''Vita Adalhardi'' was written to be in part a funeral eulogy, ''Vita Walae'' was  written as a (fairly) accurate depiction of Wala.  Paschasius used sources in writing this biography, a handbook written by Wala, and treatises of the time, probably to show his own views through his depiction of Wala.<ref>Cabaniss, pg. 16</ref>