C.S. Lewis’s life as an academic was concerned with the teaching of medieval and Renaissance literature, though both his lectures and his publications also incorporated his extensive knowledge of Greek and Latin classics. He argued that the cultural and intellectual history of Europe was divided into three main periods, the pre-Christian, the Christian and the post-Christian, which he treated as a matter of historical understanding and with no aim at proselytization: a position that none the less aroused some opposition following his inaugural lecture as professor at Cambridge. Ever since his childhood, his interest in the Middle Ages had been an imaginative rather than a purely scholarly one, and his main concern was to inculcate a sense of the beauty of that pre-modern thought world and its value-a concern that set him apart from the other schools of English language and literature dominant in his lifetime.
The paper presents literary images of medieval women in four Middle English romances, viz. King Horn, Sir Isumbras, Havelok the Dane and Sir Gawain and the Green Night. Its aim is to identify some conventional patterns of representation of female characters in the literary works classified as different subtypes of the genre of romance, namely ancestral romance (King Horn, Havelok the Dane), homiletic romance (Sir Isumbras) and Arthurian romance (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). After Sharon Farmer and other feminist critics, the concept of gender is interpreted as one of the major categories of difference in medieval English society. This argument is supported by the analysis of the construction of female characters in the romances in question. However, while it is important to remember that the society of medieval England was to a large extent male-governed and male-dominated, which is the reason for the apparent centrality of male protagonists in medieval English literature, the function of female characters in literary works of that period is not necessarily secondary. The paper focuses on the importance of women in presenting the protagonist’s genealogy and on selected strategies of representation, such as reversal of gender roles or marginalization of female characters. The essay attempts to demonstrate that the category of gender, as it is seen in the medieval texts, cannot be reduced to a simplified model of binary oppositions, since the romances also introduce the complexity of power relations and tensions between the sexes.
In her paper Hagiografie v 10. a 11. Století, Marie Bláhová of Charles University in Prague examines the early history of the development of this genre. First, she discusses what hagiography is and when and under what circumstances this branch of the Latin literature was born. The author points out to the ancient roots of hagiography (the second century). Next to the history and the causes of the emergence of hagiography, the paper presents the development of its forms and changes in the choice of types of holiness, which could be included in such works since the late antiquity until the eleventh century. Marie Bláhová has presented readers with a wide panorama of centers and individuals distinguished in creating and rewriting hagiographic literature, noting their role at the time of birth of a given work and its subsequent dissemination. This panorama is made up of activities of both various centers and literary circles in older Europe, i.e., Empire, England, France, Italy, and in Central Europe, namely Hungary, Czech and Poland.
In the late medieval N-Town Cycle Passion Plays, the trial of Jesus is presented in the context of a medieval courtroom, where Jesus is brought by Annas and Cayphas to be judged by Pontius Pilate. However, while the priests through abuses of the legal procedures attempt to ensure Jesus’s demise, Pilate opposes their intent by remaining true to his judicial duties, which presents him as a lonely Other in the presented world of legal misconduct. This paper explores the concept of otherness in a legal context of the plays, as well as the legal and social significance of Pilate’s actions.
The article is a personal reflection by a student of Le Goff on the research legacy of the great medievalist, who from the time of his studies at Charles University also showed a deep interest in the history of the Bohemian lands. The article stresses the importance of the foundation of the École des hautes études en sciences sociales and the creation of a doctoral seminary as a milestone on Le Goff‘s pathway towards historical anthropology and the education of his own doctoral students. Jacques Le Goff remains an inspiration, in particular for his interdisciplinary approaches, his interest in literary and iconographic sources and medieval imagination as well as for his sophisticated popularising efforts and for the tearing down of useless walls between university specialisations. The reflections are in part based on original assessments of the different aspects of Le Goff’s legacy by Bruno Dumézil, Stéphane Durand, Oliver Chaline, Christine Ferlampin-Acher, Olivier Marin, Jean-Marie Moeglin and Jean-Claude Schmitt.
“The Book of the Knight of the Tower” (1371–1372) is a pedagogical treatise compiled by a father concerned about the welfare and prospective good marriages of his daughters. It is difficult to match the educational and moral aims of the book to its content, which sometimes does not seem suitable for a child audience. However, the stories, which the narrator presents to young girls, invite us to reconsider whether “The Book” can be seen as an example of medieval literature for children.
PL
Księga ku pouczeniu córek (Livre du Chevalier de la Tour Landry pour l’enseignement de ses filles, 1371–1372) Godfryda de la Tour Landry’ego jest dziełem napisanym przez ojca, któremu leży na sercu szczęście i pomyślne małżeństwo jego córek. Trudno pogodzić dydaktyczny zamysł Księgi z jej zawartością, która wydaje się nieprzystosowana dla dziecięcego odbiorcy. Celem mojego artykułu jest zastanowienie się, czy dzieło to można potraktować jako przykład średniowiecznej literatury dla dzieci.
The article presents the state of research on Aurora, the verse paraphrase of the Bible composed prior to the end of the 12th century by Peter Riga (died 1209), a canon of the Reims cathedral and a regular canon of the Augustinian monastery located in the same city. As early as during the lifetime of Riga, it was reworked by Aegidius of Paris (ca. 1160–1224). During the Middle Ages, Aurora was exceedingly popular. This popularity is attested by nearly 500 extant manuscript copies, numerous citations in works by other authors, and by translations into the vernacular. In spite of its importance to the Middle Ages, this remarkable text received its editio princeps only in 1965, and even if this edition provides ample material for research on various themes relative to medieval intellectual culture, many issues connected with this text remain to be solved. P. Pludra-Żuk recounts the major fi ndings concerning Peter Riga and Aegidius of Paris, the composition of Aurora, and the specifi city of its reception, emphasising the diffi culties, which arise from the existence of several authorial versions of the text, and nearly contemporary redactions. Pludra-Żuk’s article aims at introducing into Polish historiography issues related to Aurora, which hitherto have practically been absent, while the research fi eld seems quite promising. In particular, one can hope for interesting results from inquiries into the textual transmission and the reception of the contents of Aurora, as well as the scrutiny of its place in the wider intellectual context of medieval Poland.
PL
Artykuł przedstawia stan badań nad Aurorą, wierszowaną parafrazą Biblii spisaną pod koniec XII wieku przez Piotra Rigę (zm. 1209), kanonika katedry w Reims i kanonika mieszczącego się w tym mieście klasztoru augustianów, która jeszcze za życia autora przeredagowana została przez Idziego z Paryża (ca 1160–1224). Opisywany tekst cieszył się w średniowieczu szczególną popularnością, na co dowodem jest blisko pięćset zachowanych do dziś kopii, liczne cytaty u autorów średniowiecznych i opierające się na nim kolejne przekłady. Jednakże pomimo szerokiego wpływu, jaki Aurora wywarła na średniowieczną umysłowość, editio princeps doczekała się dopiero w 1965 r., a choć dzieło stanowi doskonały materiał do badań nad wieloma aspektami odnoszącymi się do historii intelektualnej średniowiecza, dotychczas wiele związanych z nim zagadnień pozostaje nierozstrzygniętych. Artykuł przytacza główne ustalenia dotyczące postaci autora oraz redaktora Aurory, kompozycji tekstu i specyfiki jego recepcji z zaznaczeniem trudności, wynikających z istnienia kilku wersji odautorskich oraz niemal jednocześnie sporządzonych redakcji. Ma na celu wprowadzenie do polskiej literatury przedmiotu zagadnienia do tej pory niemalże całkiem nieobecnego, a dającego nadzieję na nowe istotne ustalenia w zakresie transmisji tekstu i treści zarówno w odniesieniu do tego konkretnego przypadku, jak i w szerszej perspektywie panoramy intelektualnej średniowiecznej Polski.
The article concerns the motif of beaver in the medieval literature. The first part of this study is an attempt at genetic criticism of the antique roots of this motif; we demonstrate a plurality of approaches to describing this animal and a profound connection of early Christian writings and ancient pagan texts. Furthermore, it is impossible to trace, with all certainty, the origins of this topos, as we have shown through source criticism of Aesop's Fables and The Histories of Herodotus. Physiologus and Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, taking from a selection of antique texts, the transformed motif of beaver, so as to adapt it to new guidelines. Since Physiologus was written, until the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, the ancient plurality of approaches to the description of this animal has been limited and adjusted to requirements of Christian writings. In addition, the analysis of the topos of beaver allowed the voicing an opinion on the subject of the still disputed origins of Physiologus. In the high Middle Ages, the discussion concerned the contradictions between marvellous early Christian literary tradition, the observations of Gerald of Wales and the rediscovered plurality of ancient approaches to zoology. The analysis of Itinerarium Cambriae and medieval encyclopedias along with iconographical material sheds a new light on the origins and functioning of the motif of beaver in medieval writing as well as medieval relations between human and nature in general.
This article examines parody in medieval literature and in folk literature and culture up to the 19th century. It analyses sacred parody (Bible parody), its significant aspects and role in literature and culture. The study focuses primarily on Cena Cypriani and Mesiáš přišel na svět pravdivý [The True Messiah Has Come into the World]. The Cena Cypriani is an anonymous prose work written in Latin. The text was probably written around 400 and tells the story of a banquet held at Cana in Galilee, where a king invites many biblical figures to attend a wedding. The song Mesiáš přišel na svět pravdivý is written in Czech, comes from the 18th century and narrates the story of a wedding feast at Cana. This article examines the origin of the song Mesiáš přišel na svět pravdivý and its dissemination throughout central Europe (in Slavic literatures, primarily in Polish).
Niniejszy artykuł omawia krakowski pobyt Pelbárta z Temeszwaru (Temesvári Pelbárt), wybitnego kaznodziei i pisarza kościelnego średniowiecznej literatury węgierskiej. Z jednej strony autor próbuje znaleźć odpowiedź na pytanie, jaką rolę odegrał Kraków w życiu Pelbárta, z drugiej stara się zrekonstruować widok średniowiecznego Krakowa, poprzez szczegółowe przyjrzenie się wszystkim budynkom i miejscom, które Pelbárt mógł zobaczyć i odwiedzić podczas swego pobytu.
EN
The present paper discusses the Cracow stay of Pelbartus de Themeswar, an outstanding preacher and religious writer of medieval Hungarian literature in Latin. On the one hand, the author seeks an answer to the question of what role Cracow played in Pelbartus’ life, on the other, he attempts to reconstruct the view of medieval Cracow by taking a detailed look at all the buildings and places that Pelbartus could see and visit during his stay.
This paper aims to analyse the courtly love of the troubadours with a particular focus on the relationship between joi and fear or disquiet. With the background of previous concepts, the model of fin’amor as an emotional community with its basic characteristics is presented. On the example of selected texts from the courtly literature, a “map of emotions” of the troubadour world, in which joi plays a central role, is constructed. Joi is defined as “joy acting” or “a state of harmony, ecstasy and inner perfection”. As the etymology of this concept, it is taken as a combination of the words gaudium (joy) and joculum (play). The analysis indicates that the pursuit of joi is both the reason for building the emotional community of fin’amor and the goal of its actors involved. The achievement of joi is based on an elaborate system of literary games. In the emotional community, joi triggers other emotions, including fear and disquiet. Thus, joi is not a state of inner harmony but an ambivalent entity, affecting both the well-being of the individual fin’amor actors and the lack thereof.
FR
Cet article vise à analyser l’amour courtois des troubadours en mettant l’accent sur la relation entre le joi et la peur ou l’intranquillité. Sur la base des concepts précédents, le modèle de la fin’amor en tant que communauté émotionnelle avec ses caractéristiques de base est présenté. Sur l’exemple de textes choisis de la littérature courtoise, une « carte des émotions » du monde des troubadours, dans laquelle le joi joue un rôle central, est construite. Joi est défini comme « la joie agissante » ou « un état d’harmonie, d’extase et de perfection intérieure ». L’étymologie de ce concept est considérée comme une combinaison des mots gaudium (joie) et joculum (jeu). L’analyse indique que la poursuite du joi est à la fois la raison de la construction de la communauté émotionnelle de la fin’amor et l’objectif des acteurs impliquées. L’obtention du joi repose sur un système élaboré de jeux littéraires. Dans la communauté émotionnelle, le joi déclenche d’autres émotions, notamment la peur et l’intranquillité. En ce sens, le joi n’est pas un état d’harmonie intérieure mais une entité ambivalente, qui affecte aussi bien le bien-être des acteurs de la fin’amor que son absence.
The article presents a report from an interpretative seminar focused on the story of Tristan and Iseult in its various forms, medieval and modern. The authors (a historian and a literary scholar) strove to maintain consistent interdisciplinary approach during the course, not only with respect to the methods of inquiry, but also in teaching. It is shown here that such undertaking is feasible and that the interdisciplinary dialogue between two living persons has a potential to attract and engage even students with no previous experience with medieval textual material. In addition, the course has revealed two broad chains of questions that can stimulate further interdisciplinary exploration — the questions about the process of signification and the questions about matters (especially liquids) and their transmutations.
When in the seventh book of his Chronicle Thietmar presents the events of year 1016, in his description of events in England he reverts to the year 1014, when Æthelred the Unready II decided to destroy the earthly remains of Sweyn Forkbeard, buried in Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. However, the corpse of Sweyn was sent back to Denmark by his fiends and Thietmar constructs this expedition as a journey towards the far north. He presents the constellations of the northern sky and then turns to a description of the Scythians who inhabit northern land. After this description Thietmar unexpectedly turns to a brief account about one of the rulers of that country, named Gutring. However, we do not know of any Scandinavian king of that name in any kingdom. The reading Gutring, which is followed by all later editors and translators was proposed by Lappenberg in his 1839 critical edition of Thietmar’s works. But the analysis of the Dresden codex clearly indicates that the name was originally written as Gulring, which is an Old Norse name or sobriquet gullhringr, ‘gold ring’, ‘gold hoop’. The Gulring mentioned by Thietmar is in all likelihood Ring Dagsson Gabarin (964-post 1018), the King of Hedmark. The identity of the King Gulring described by Thietmar was already established in the 18th century, but because of the fact that in 1839 Lappenberg spoiled Thietmar’s text by changing the correct spelling of the Norse leader Gulring to Gutring, this identification was neglected and then forgotten by modern scholars.
Count Charles of Valois, father of the Czech Queen Blanka and father-in-law of the future Czech king and Roman Emperor Charles IV, was a generous patron of the arts and literature. The literary works he commissioned, such as the glorifying epic ‚Charlemagne‘, whom the Count of Valois considered a forerunner and role model, also influenced his son-in-law. The article analyses two works written for Charles of Valois: the Roman de Fauvel (1317–1322) and the Masked Fox (Renard le Contrefait, 1319–1324). These works are considered ‚sovereign mirrors‘ of good and bad government. The text contains an intense criticism of idleness and adultery, a direct reaction to the affair of the royal princesses (the wives of the future French kings Louis X and Charles IV the Fair), which was discovered and severely punished in 1314. Charles of Valois used the event for his propagandistic purposes.
The article analyses the vision of the devil in the selected tales of the Vie des peres, a collection of pious tales from the thirteenth century, freely inspired by patristic literature and medieval exempla. The period in which the collection was written, the thirteenth century, bridges the gap between the early and late Middle Ages: it is a time when the perception of the devil is changing, and he is becoming increasingly feared. The analysis focuses mainly on four stories in which the devil is at the centre of the story, and in which his very image is a source of fear and a key element of the story: ‘Devil’s Mouth’, ‘Devils Vision’ and two versions of ‘Devil’s Image’. The vision of the devil in these stories coincides with the teratological vision that is dominant in the iconography, to which the stories directly allude. The message of these stories is generally positive: the protagonists almost always manage to overcome their fears and free themselves from the power of the devil. In this way, the authors avoid the trap of Manichaeism: the devil, despite his cunning and sophistication, is in the end only a caricature of an angel, unable to oppose God effectively. The fear of the devil appears several times on the pages of Vie des peres, but it is the message of hope that dominates.
FR
L’article analyse la vision du diable dans les contes choisis de la Vie des peres, recueil de contes pieux du XIIIe siècle, librement inspiré de la littérature patristique et des exempla médiévaux. La période de la rédaction du recueil, le treizième siècle, marque la transition entre le haut et le bas Moyen Âge : c’est une époque où la perception du diable évolue et où celui-ci devient de plus en plus redouté. L’analyse se focalise surtout sur quatre récits dans lesquels le diable est au centre de l’histoire, et où son image même est source de peur et élément clé du récit : « Gueule du diable », « Vision de diables » et deux versions d’« Image du diable ». La vision du diable dans ces histoires coïncide avec la vision tératologique qui domine dans l’iconographie, à laquelle les histoires citées font d’ailleurs directement allusion. Le message de ces histoires est généralement positif : les protagonistes parviennent presque toujours à surmonter leurs peurs et à se libérer du pouvoir du diable. Les auteurs évitent ainsi le piège du manichéisme : le diable, malgré sa ruse et sa sophistication, n’est finalement qu’une caricature d’ange, incapable de s’opposer efficacement à Dieu. La peur du diable apparaît à plusieurs reprises sur les pages de la Vie des peres, mais c’est le message d’espoir qui domine.
Flavius Josephus’s Bellum Judaicum account of the conquest of Jerusalem by Romans and the famine in 70 CE depicts a scene in which the Jewish matron Mary devours her own child. The story, in which this “terrible meal” plays an important symbolic role, also entered the vernacular texts of the Czech Middle Ages through Latin literature. In the eyes of Christian exegetes, who drew detailed information about Titus’s invasion and massacre of the Jews from Flavius Josephus, the sacking of Jerusalem was a punishment for Jewish unwillingness to accept Christ. By analysing Old Czech hagiographic and homiletic texts, I will show how the “fall of Jerusalem” formed the theological concept of the condemnation of the Jews and anti-Jewish rhetoric.
Between September 20th and 24th, 2015 Rzeszów hosted the Fifth Congress of Polish Medievalists, which was attended by about 250 scholars of the Middle Ages from all academic centres in Poland and from abroad. The congress theme was “Reception and Rejection. Intercultural Contacts in the Middle Ages”. A large number of papers were presented in 20 thematic sections. One section, no. 17, entitled “Translatio studii in the intellectual and literary culture of the Middle Ages”, was organized by Professor Andrzej Dąbrówka from the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Grzegorz Trościński, Ph.D. from the Old Polish and Enlightenment Literature Department of the University of Rzeszów. The speakers included philosophers, historians of Polish literature and linguists from several academic centres in Poland. The papers focused on the main intellectual current of the Middle Ages, depicted from various perspectives and shown at different angles. Translatio studii turned out to be multifaceted and long-lasting.