The Magic Chessboard in The Perlesvaus: An Example of Medieval Literary Borrowing

PMLA ◽  
1935 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Arthurian Romance ◽  
Fundamental Conception ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Middle Ages

Literary endeavor in the Middle Ages, as in the Renaissance, was essentially an art of imitation. Since little emphasis was placed upon originality of subject-matter, since praise went rather to the combination and interpretation of familiar materials—or to stylistic qualities —the author felt free to appropriate whatever themes or episodes best suited his fundamental conception. Thus an Arthurian romance was usually a tissue of commonplace incidents and motifs, developed in accordance with the purpose or the taste of the individual writer. To distinguish between the narrative content of a work and the particular interpretation applied to it by the artist, the Middle Ages employed the terms matière and sens. The matière might come from any source; the sens alone was the contribution of the latest reworker.

Biography and Autobiography in the Italian Renaissance

Mapping Lives ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Italian Renaissance ◽  
Classical Models ◽  
The Subject ◽  
De Viris Illustribus ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Middle Ages

During the period of 1300–1600, autobiography and biography flourished in Italy despite the controversial thesis of the ‘rise of the individual’ during the Italian Renaissance. In the same period, a typology of biographical works emerged distinguishing the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Italy. These three strands of biography are: collection of lives, a De viris illustribus tradition, revived in Petrarch's work of the same name and inspired by Classical lives of famous rulers, by medieval Viri illustres, and by famous writers and artists; individual biographies, again either of a single ruler or of an individual, and once more derived from Classical models, such as Boccaccio's De vita et moribus Francisci Petrarcchi and Trattatello in laude di Dante; and autobiography, which was pioneered by Petrarch through his Secretum, a purportedly secret dialogue in which St. Augustine was the subject. This chapter discusses distinctive examples of the three strands of biography, with emphasis on the biographies and autobiographies of the writers. It charts the rise and principal developments of these genres during 1350 to 1550.

Female Arthurians in Scandinavia: Eufemia, Christina and the Modern Female Scholar

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-60
Author(s):  
Sofia Lodén
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Literary Study ◽  
Arthurian Romance ◽  
Queen Christina Of Sweden ◽  
Female Scholar ◽  
The Middle Ages

Abstract This article traces the line between the medieval female reader of Arthurian romance in Scandinavia and the female scholar of today. It draws attention to a number of female patrons and readers of Arthuriana in the Middle Ages, as well as to Queen Christina of Sweden in the seventeenth century. It also discusses the contribution of Scandinavian women to the scholarly field of Arthurian literary study.

The Origins and Development of Municipal Military Service in the Leonese and Castilian Reconquest, 800–1250

Traditio ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 91-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Powers
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
Military Institutions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Middle Ages

In modern society, enmeshed with confrontations involving the individual, military service and the state, historians are often inclined to make comparisons with the distant past which offer relief from the pressures of contemporary history. Regarding military service, the Middle Ages are occasionally suggested as an age when combat was sporadic, when only the small feudal aristocracy encountered a martial obligation, and when the remainder of society could concentrate on the other burdens of life, free of the paraphernalia of war, hot or cold. As with many romantic generalizations concerning the period, the comparative bliss of the medieval non-combatant is open to question. Many would note, however, that the feudal classes did possess a monopoly on warfare for several centuries in parts of Continental Europe, and would tend to place all discussion of military institutions within a feudal context.

scholarly journals Law in action, law in books: the practicality of medieval theft law

2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD W. IRELAND
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Public Order ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Functional Perspective ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Law ◽  
Medieval Law ◽  
Perpetrators And Victims ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Middle Ages

This article approaches the medieval law of theft from a ‘functional’ perspective. It seeks, that is, to consider the rules of law principally in relation to the social circumstances which give rise to them and upon which they, in turn, have an impact. Concentrating primarily upon material from England and Wales, the essay considers general issues of definition, jurisdiction and proof in the law of the middle ages before concentrating specifically upon the rules respecting theft. The ideas of manifest and non-manifest theft are explored in an attempt to discover why the law distinguished between them. Potential difficulties concerning the bringing of theft actions and the defences which might be offered to them are also examined and related to the practical world in which perpetrators and victims of theft found themselves. Finally, the possible tension between the satisfaction of the demands of the individual victim and the wider desire to maintain public order is investigated.

scholarly journals The Fairy Tale Finist the Bright Falcon (CIP 432) in the Russian folklore tradition and literature

2019 ◽  
pp. 113-127
Author(s):  
Варвара Евгеньевна Добровольская
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
European American ◽  
Russian Version ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Plot Type ◽  
The Middle Ages

В мировом фольклоре сюжетный тип ATU «The Prince as Bird / Принц-птица» 432 представлен у многих народов. Историю сюжета принято связывать с рыцарской поэзией Средневековья. Сюжет популярен в европейских, американских и азиатских сказочных традициях, однако русская версия имеет ряд особенностей. Помимо зафиксированных в указателе вариантов данного сюжетного типа, автор статьи выявил еще ряд текстов данного сюжетного типа. Выявлены и тексты, ошибочно причисляемые к сюжетному типу 432. Русская версия сюжета «Финист Ясный Сокол» популярна в устной и письменной традиции. Это полностью сформированный сюжет, который практически не подвергался трансформациям с 1795 г., когда один из вариантов сказки был впервые опубликован. Существуя в устном бытовании, сюжет редко соединяется с другими сюжетными типами. В основном такие контаминации являются проявлением индивидуального мастерства сказочника или свидетельством разрушения традиции. Сказка оказалась привлекательной и для авторской литературы, однако только Андрей Платонов сохранил структуру сказочного текста. В своем произведении писателю удалось продемонстрировать тенденции, происходящие с фольклорным текстом в 40 годы ХХ в. Другие авторы (Шестаков, Прокофьева, Токмакова, Шерман, Рубанов) активно использовали мотивы, присущие данному сюжетному типу, но не сохранили в своих произведениях сюжетного каркаса сказки. In world folklore, the plot type ATU “The Prince as Bird / Prince-Bird” 432 is represented in traditions of many peoples. The story is usually associated with the chivalry poetry of the Middle Ages. The plot is popular in European, American and Asian fairy - tale traditions, but the Russian version has a number of specific features. In addition to the variants of this plot type fixed in the index, the author of the article revealed a number of other texts of this plot type. In addition, texts erroneously assigned to plot type 432 were found and excepted. The Russian version of the plot “Finist the bright falcon” is popular in the oral and written tradition. This is a fully formed plot that has not undergone any transformation since 1795, when one of the versions of the tale was first published. While existing in purely oral tradition, the plot rarely connects with other plot types. Basically, such contamination is a manifestation of the individual skill of the storyteller or evidence of the destruction of tradition. The tale turned out to be attractive for the author’s literature; however, only Andrei Platonov retained the structure of the fabulous text. In his work, the writer was able to demonstrate the trends that occur with this folklore text in the 40s of the XX century. Other authors (Shestakov, Prokofiev, Tokmakova, Sherman? Rubanov) actively used the motifs inherent in this plot type, but did not save the fairy - tale story plot in their works.

scholarly journals The Individual and Society in the Middle Ages.

Man ◽  
1968 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
Robert M. Goldstein ◽  
Walter Ullmann
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Middle Ages

scholarly journals O cruzamento entre o Sagrado e o Profano na temática do Amor Cortês * The intersection between the Sacred and the Profane in the theme of Courtly Love

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
LIGIA CRISTINA CARVALHO
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
Courtly Love ◽  
The Self ◽  
Knowledge Of God ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Middle Ages

<p><strong>Resumo</strong>: Por ter sido elaborado dentro de uma sociedade religiosa cristã medieval, que tem a Bíblia como paradigma e a Igreja como norteadora espiritual e comportamental, pelo menos desde o século V, o amor cortês caracteriza-se pela tensão dos contrários que marca tão singularmente o perfil histórico e cultural da Idade Média. Para Santo Agostinho, o amor eleva o indivíduo à verdade, ao conhecimento unitivo de Deus. Em conformidade com a ideia de Santo Agostinho, o amor cortês era tido como fonte de todo o bem. Entretanto, na literatura cortês, não era o conhecimento de uma verdade transcendente que se consegue com o amor, mas um enobrecimento do próprio ser em sua realidade terrena e, além disto, este amor não se dirige a Deus, mas ao próximo de sexo oposto. Dito isto, neste artigo discutiremos o cruzamento entre o sagrado e o profano na temática do amor cortês.</p><p><strong>Palavras-chave</strong>: Idade Média Central – Literatura cavaleiresca – Amor cortês.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Abstract</strong>: Because of drawning into a medieval Christian religious society, which has the Bible as a paradigm and the Church as a spiritual and behavioral guiding, at least since the fifth century, courtly love is characterized by the tension of opposites that mark the historical and cultural profile of the Middle Ages so singularly. For St. Augustine, love elevates the individual to the truth, to the unitive knowledge of God. In accordance with the idea of St. Augustine, courtly love was taken as the source of all good. However, in courtly literature, the knowledge of a transcendent truth was not achieved by love, but an ennoblement of the self in its earthly reality and, moreover, this love is not addressed to God but to others of the opposite sex. Said that, this article will discuss the intersection between the sacred and the profane in the theme of courtly love.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Central Middle Ages – Chivalric literature – Courteous love.</p>

scholarly journals Le coeur mangé à plusieurs sauces

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Monique Moser-Verrey
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Literary Genres ◽  
Triangular Relationship ◽  
The Middle Ages ◽  
The Way

The « eaten heart » is a scandalous meal that is to be found in literature from its very start. This story rests on various narrative configurations and topoï rooted in a triangular relationship. The heroine’s lover offers her his heart. But her husband turns it into a dish. She actually enjoys this dish but dies as soon as she finds out that she ate her lovers heart. This study follows the variations of the topos both through time and literary genres from the troubadours’s courtly poems all the way to Sade’s pervers stories. The tragical subject matter also triggered parodies, who either magnified the cannibalism or rejected the appalling meal, preferring a comical resolution. It appears however that from the Middle Ages to the dawn of Romanticism lovers show very little appetite. Their amorous communion truly transcends all greedy misfortunes of this world.

Matthew X. Vernon, The Black Middle Ages: Race and Construction of the Middle Ages. The New Middle Ages. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, xiii, 266 pp.

Mediaevistik ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 387-388
Author(s):  
Albrecht Classen
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Black Americans ◽  
Major Portion ◽  
Hispanic American ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Middle Ages

When I agreed to review this book, I had not paid enough attention to the subtitle, which reveals that the author is primarily concerned with the issue of Medievalism. In essence, Vernon is examining how Black or African American medievalists and writers have viewed the Middle Ages and what the study of the medieval world might mean for the struggle of Black Americans against racism and colonialism today. He argues that the examination of the Middle Ages mattered deeply for those intellectuals because many issues in that past are still mirrored in the present. This could be of relevance especially for those who are interested in the history of scholarship and the particular approach to that period from a specific ethnic perspective. Of course, then we would also need books about Asian American medievalists, Hispanic American medievalists, etc., which seems to be valid in political terms, but does not really do justice to the subject matter. At any rate, I cannot examine and evaluate the major portion of this book because it falls into the category of modern Medievalism.

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