Thursday, December 31, 2015

Discovering The First Medieval Author And Writings

By Rebecca Clark


When the first writings of the Middle Ages were penned, the information was most likely transcribed in Latin. The reason being, that Latin was the language of the Roman Catholic Church which dominated central and western Europe during the Middle Ages. As such, since the church remained the only aspect of education at the time, it was also the most common language for a medieval author.

Some commoners continued to use Latin for quite some time, especially in hymns and poems. Later, there was a conversion in which some elements of the Celtic and Roman languages were penned or combined with Latin. Though, it is the Latin writings which seem to have become the most well known text in history.

When it comes to the Celts, the most common text of the Middle Ages surrounds King Arthur and the court. There are two other texts which were often attributed great value in the era. These are Mabinogion and Marie de France. While these and many other texts remain anonymous, classical writers were known for embellishing stories. Yet, these writers were often thought to have penned these and other great tales.

Even writers developing and submitting original story lines whether on stage or in written form, often attributed the work to others. In many cases, these writers would suggest a story came out of a play. Whereas, in others, authors would simply embellish or rewrite works which had been published anonymously. It is interesting to note, that in many cases there may have been multiple authors working on a single story.

As might be expected, the majority of work created during this period was based in philosophical and theological thought. The Bible being one of the most popular books of the period. Catholics remained the intellectual center of society which resulted in a large collection of theological works being housed in different libraries. After which, a number of philosophical titles and others began to find a way on to shelves in local, regional and national libraries.

While a great deal of work was based in philosophy and theology, there were also sacred texts written with a purpose. For example, multiple treaties were written which attempted to reconcile pagan authors and the church. While successful at first, many pagans decided to reject the treaties and return to Greek and Roman writings rather than align with the church.

One text, The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine garnered so much attention that it is reported to have been read more often than the Bible. The Bible, being a book which those involved in the church read on a daily basis. Poets and prophets, philosophers and priests all had writings during this era. In one case, Goliardic poetry was often used by clerics who wish to express dissent and dissatisfaction.

There were also a number of Jewish medieval writers. Two of which were Maimonides and Rashi. Maimonides was born in Spain and Rashi, in France. Each were considered outstanding authors of the period. After which, secular writings such as the well known Beowolf and other stories began to hit local libraries and the marketplace.




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