Medieval Literature Research Articles

La Lettre sauve: l’ABC et la louange mariale

Abstract Do the ABC poems in French form a genre? This article aims to answer this question by examining the thematic and formal similarities between the texts of our corpus. The main hypothesis is that our understanding of these texts depends on their being read together. The article consists of three parts: the first, focused on the study of the sources, shows that the dispositio and completeness of the ABC provide a dynamic and ornamental frame for prayer. The ABC becomes a path, both narrative and moral, that the reader can follow to reach the divinity. The second part analyses the French poems, all dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and highlights the formulas and features they have in common. In the third part, the influence of the ABC poems on French medieval literature is examined through the fragmentation and dissemination of their stylistic features and symbolic meanings in other texts and genres. The article concludes that the ABC poems of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries form a homogeneous corpus that was to prove influential on French literary production.

Transdisciplinarity—A Bold Way into the Academic Future, from a European Medievalist Perspective and or the Rediscovery of Philology?

This essay examines the challenges and opportunities provided by transdisciplinarity from the point of view of medieval literature. This approach is situated within the universal framework of General Education or Liberal Arts, which in turn derives its essential inspiration from medieval and ancient learning. On the one hand, the various recent efforts to work transdisciplinarily are outlined and discussed; on the other, a selection of medieval narratives and one modern German novel plus one eighteenth-century ode are examined to illustrate how a transdisciplinary approach could work productively in order to innovate the principles of the modern university or all academic learning, putting the necessary tools of twenty-first century epistemology into the hands of the new generation. The specific angle pursued here consists of drawing from the world of medieval philosophy and literature as a new launching pad for future endeavors.

Freedom, Love, Nobility: The Falkenmotiv in Medieval and Modern German Literature, with an Emphasis on Werner Bergengruen’s “Die drei Falken”

Medieval literature has deeply shaped modern literature through many different channels. Sometimes entire works were translated or paraphrased into modern languages, sometimes medieval motifs, themes, figures, or concepts impacted modern texts. This article examines one remarkable example, Werner Bergengruen’s highly popular novella “Die drei Falken” (1928) the source of inspiration of which was loosely Boccaccio’s story told on Day V, no. 9 in his Decameron (ca. 1350). Throughout time, the falcon has regularly symbolized courtly love, nobility, and the desire for individual freedom. After a discussion of Boccaccio’s text and a selection of medieval examples where the same motive appears, this article examines how Bergengruen transformed the symbol of the falcon into an expression of human nobility and deeply felt desire for personal freedom.

Literary Interpretations based on the studies on Occasional Verses of the Medieval Period

Poets recreate their innermost feelings in the minds of the readers through their poems. In addition, the vast majority of occasional verses sung on poets’ own emotions. They are therefore classified as autobiographical poems. In these songs, poets not only write about the beauty of nature but also about their experiences of life and the literary world. Literature composed of pleasure, humour, carefree contentment, and the emotions of fear, sadness, anxiety, pain, rivalry, jealousy, frustration, and struggle are largely discussed in the occasional verses of medieval literature. The role of literature in the sociological and psychological analysis of the everyday life problems of poets becomes an integral part of their themes. How do the problems that this society affect the soul of an individual? In it, one can learn from the literature of the time. The success of the creators is that they create the best literature related to human life. Further, the uniqueness and personality of a poet are known by the excellence of his or her conceptual style. This article studies the verses that have been excluded from the history of Tamil literature, and known as the "Occasional Verses Collection (Single Anthology)".

Etymology and Wordplay in Medieval Literature

Etymology and Wordplay in Medieval Literature

Revelation and Apocalypse in Late Medieval Literature: The Writings of Julian of Norwich and William Langland

Revelation and Apocalypse in Late Medieval Literature: The Writings of Julian of Norwich and William Langland

Revelation and Apocalypse in Late Medieval Literature: The Writings of Julian of Norwich and William Langland

Revelation and Apocalypse in Late Medieval Literature: The Writings of Julian of Norwich and William Langland

Global Middle Ages: Eastern Wisdom (Buddhistic) Teachings in Medieval European Literature. With a Focus on Barlaam and Josaphat

In contrast to many recent attempts to establish concepts and platforms to study global literature, and this also in the pre-modern world, this article claims to present much more concrete examples to confirm that a certain degree of globalism existed already in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. While numerous scholars/editors have simply invited many more voices from all over the world to the same ‘table,’ i.e., literary histories, which has not really provided more substance to the notion of ‘global,’ the study of translated texts, such as those dealing with Barlaam and Josaphat, clearly confirms that some core Indian ideas and values, as originally developed by Buddha, had migrated through many stages of translations, to high medieval literature in Europe.

Dante as a Florentine lyrical author

As one of the outstanding authors of medieval literature, Dante Alighieri has enjoyed seven centuries of close scholarly attention. 1 The immense success of his Comedy has prompted some modern Dante scholars to assume that such success came easily during his life, even though the Comedy was fully issued only after the poet’s death. Similar claims for rapid success are also made for the Vita nuova and some of Dante’s lyric poetry. However, although much ancient source material has been lost, the surviving evidence does not support the view that success came to Dante during his life. Close scrutiny of the manuscript sources suggests a quite different scenario: Dante as an author had to survive in a dynamic and ruthlessly competitive environment (which, by analogy with the theory of natural selection, may have helped to elicit his finest achievements). His goal was to persuade the highly educated and affluent Florentine upper class to abandon its attachment to the prevailing lyrical school, represented by the authoritative and apparently indomitable Guittone d’Arezzo and his followers. Only then would Dante and the new poets (the Stilnovisti) stand a chance of seeing their work collected in the prestigious and expensive canzonieri. Probably, on the evidence of the surviving collections and other manuscripts (Escorialense, Laur. Martelli 12, etc), Dante did not fully achieve his goal — a situation which changed, dramatically, only after the Comedy was published.

ORTA ƏSR AZƏRBAYCAN POEZİYASINDA QAZİ BÜRHANƏDDİN ÖZÜNƏMƏXSUSLUĞU

Kadi Burhan al-Din was one of the outstanding representatives of medieval Azerbaijani literature. He was the first poet in literature to write in the genre of tuyugh-classical genre of Turkic poetry. His diwan comprises 1,500 ghazals, 119 tuyughs. Not only individual poems of the poet, but all poetry of Kadi Burhan al-Din is very valuable for the history of Azerbaijan literature. Key words: native language, diwan, tuyugh, poetry, poet, literature, medieval

Motives and Trends of Tamil Medieval Literature

There is innumerable literature that have appeared in our Tamil language which is the most ancient language in the world. Tamil literature has reached various stages of development from the Tholkappiyar period to the twentieth century. During the Sangam period, Sangam literature, Sangam literature during the Maruviya period, epics during the Chola period and Medieval literature during the Nayakas period were well understood. Each period in which Tamil literature appeared reflected the social, political, cultural and economic backgrounds of the time. Literature also needs to change according to social background as time goes on. It is the literature that appears to bring about such change that is enduring. Conceived in the Tholkappiya Noorpa, the Sangam literature have undergone various stages of development in the devotional literature, and the epics that have evolved into separate literary genres which have multiplied beyond the tradition of ninety-six epics during the Nayakas period. Some of the best-known literature of a given period stops its developmental stage with that period. However, Medieval literatures have been revived in the twentieth century with various changes in the subject matter and structure of society.

일본 중세 문학에서의 재해

일본 중세 문학에서의 재해

THE BRIGHT STAR OF THE MEDIEVAL LITERATURE

This article remembered us The Medieval literature, Geoffrey Chaucer-the bright star of English literature, his life and great masterpieces, works. We can get information about ``The Canterbury Tales``.

New Books across the Disciplines

New Books across the Disciplines

АКСИОЛОГИЧНИ ПРОБЛЕМИ В СЛАВЯНСКИТЕ ЕЗИЦИ (ТРАДИЦИИ И СЪВРЕМЕННОСТ) / AXIOLOGICAL ISSUES IN THE SLAVIC LANGUAGES (TRADITIONS AND MODERNITY)

The review is dedicated to the collection Axiological Issues in the Slavic Languages (Traditions and Modernity). The collection of papers features publications by participants in the international project Linguistic and Ethnocultural Dynamics of Traditional and Non-traditional Values in the Slavic World, which brings together scholars from Bulgaria, Russia and Slovakia. The articles are grouped thematically in two sections: Axiological Issues in Medieval Literature and Values in the Traditional and Contemporary Culture of the Slavs. The sociological research Dynamics of the Values in Bulgarian Culture and Language is also presented.

Editors’ Introduction: #MeToo, Medieval Literature, and Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

This issue explores best practices for confronting issues of sexual violence in medieval literary texts with a generation of students attuned to identifying and condemning sexual harassment and assault. Because many of our students—whatever their gender identification—have histories with many kinds of sexual harm, articles by Carissa M. Harris, Sarah Powrie, and Sara Torres and Rebecca McNamara offer thoughtful, trauma-informed pedagogical approaches to aid us as we approach these difficult texts. Our fourth article, by Holly A. Crocker, illuminates the deep-rooted systems that feed women’s vulnerability and work to silence even the strongest among us.

Teaching Consent: Medieval Pastourelles in the Undergraduate Classroom

Author(s): Harris, Carissa M. | Abstract: Students’ familiarity with the #MeToo movement, with its emphasis on multiple narratives of different kinds of violations, creates a valuable opportunity for educators to use medieval pastourelles to teach about long histories of power and sexual consent. Focusing specifically on the undergraduate medieval literature classroom, this essay argues for the importance of teaching pastourelles—a genre frequently overlooked by instructors—and outlines concrete strategies for doing so with knowledge, sensitivity, and care. It discusses multiple frameworks for teaching pastourelles, including connecting them to street harassment, intersectionality, or contemporary survivor narratives. It closes by discussing larger-scale strategies for cultivating a supportive classroom atmosphere and providing students with resources to navigate these difficult but important texts.

Biblical commentary and translation in later medieval England. Experiments in interpretation. By Andrew Kraebel. (Studies in Medieval Literature.) Pp. xiv + 309 incl. 17 ills. Cambridge–New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020. £75. 978 1 108 48664 4

Biblical commentary and translation in later medieval England. Experiments in interpretation. By Andrew Kraebel. (Studies in Medieval Literature.) Pp. xiv + 309 incl. 17 ills. Cambridge–New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020. £75. 978 1 108 48664 4 - Volume 72 Issue 2

The Signifying Power of Pearl: Medieval Literary and Cultural Contexts for the Transformation of Genre

The Signifying Power of <i>Pearl</i>: Medieval Literary and Cultural Contexts for the Transformation of Genre

The Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm and their Medieval Background

It has long been accepted that fairy tales somehow trace their roots in pre‐modern culture and folklore. But we are rather unclear about what would constitute the historical dimension in those tales. Leaving psychological or gender‐oriented methodologies aside, this article takes a fresh look at the fairy tales by the Grimms and examines critically to what extent they contain more or less authentic material connecting them specifically with the Middle Ages and our understanding of that age today. There are many elements in the tales predicated on medieval culture and social‐political conditions, such as kingship, castles, princesses and princes, knights, etc. But then there are also many mysterious and magical creatures and objects that have appealed to audiences young and old, whether they are direct borrowings from the pre‐modern world or not. Some of those, along with many motifs, were obviously directly borrowed from medieval literature.