MART: the Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching – serie

Colin Morris traces the origin of the concept of the individual, not to the Renaissance where it is popularly assumed to have been invented, but farther back, to the spirituality and intellectually dynamic world of Europe in the twelfth century. First published in 1972.

In the past few decades, interest in the rich and varied literature of early Scandinavia has prompted a great deal of interest in its background: its origins, social and historical context, and relationship to other medieval literatures. Until the 1980s, however, there was a distinct lack of scholarship in the area, so in 1985, Carol J. Clover and John Lindow brought together some of the most ambitious and distinguished Old Norse scholars to contribute essays for a collection that would finally fill the void of a comprehensive guide to the field.The contributors summarize and comment on scholarly work in the major branches of the field: eddic and skaldic poetry, family and kings' sagas, courtly writing, and mythology. Taken together, their judicious and well-written essays, each with a full bibliography, make up this vital survey of Old Norse literature in English - a basic reference work that has stimulated much research and helped to open up the field to a wider academic readership.This volume has become an essential text for instructors, and twenty years later, is now being republished as part of the Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching (MART) series with a new preface that discusses more recent contributions to the field.

Originally published by Basil Blackwell Publishers, 1957

Originally published by J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd., 1934.In this volume Gordon presents the four great medieval versions of the love of Troilus and Criseida: BenoÎt de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie, written in approximately 1160 and the earliest surviving version of the story; Giovanni Boccaccio's It Filostrato (c 1338), which drew on BenoÎt's tale for one of its two main sources; Georffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde c 1385), for centuries considered his best work; and Robert Henryson's Testament of Cresseid (c 1490), which functions as a continuation of the story Chaucer tells.

‘Constantine hardly deserves the title of Great which posterity has given him, either by his character or by his abilities. He was highly susceptible to flattery, and fell completely under the influence of any dominating personality who happened to be at his side … Still less does Constantine deserve the title of saint, which the Eastern Church has bestowed upon him. He was, it is true, according to his lights, a good man on the whole, though his political murders – particularly that of Licinius – shocked even contemporary opinion, and his execution of his wife and son was felt by many to be an inexpiable stain on his character…To the other title which the Orthodox Church has bestowed upon him, “the Peer of the Apostles,” he has a better claim, for his career profoundly influenced the history of the Church and the future of Christianity … Constantine had no doubts about his imperial duty. It was his task to secure God’s favour on the empire by securing, by force if necessary, that his subjects worshipped God in a manner pleasing to Him.’Originally published by Macmillan, 1948.

The authoritative reconstruction of Chaucer's pronunciation - indispensable to all readers of his poetry. Reprinted from the 1962 printing, first published in 1961

An outstanding analysis of the governance of the Church in England, its relations with popes and monarchs as well as intellectual life and religious literature - pastoral, moral, mystical. Originally by Cambridge University Press, 1955.

The narratives by John of Plano Carpini and William of Rubruck of their journeys to Mongolia in the middle of the thirteenth century differ from the majority of works in this series. The authors were not canonized saints or beati, and their travels were not missionary journeys in the strict sense, but were more of the nature of political embassies. Nevertheless, they were servants of Christendom as few men have been. They give a first-hand authentic account of the first contact between Western Christendom and the Far East, and this at the moment when the whole oriental world from Korea to Hungary was being turned upside down and remade by one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of the world.

For the first forty years of his life Marshal was a landless knight but by his marriage to the daughter of Earl Richard of Pembroke in 1189 he became a great feudal lord. His biography depicts the two extremes of feudal society. This edition was first published in 1933.

This classic dictionary deals carefully and exhaustively with all the words which occur in Anglo-Saxon poetry and prose. Variant dialectic forms are given, together with variant forms found in the same dialect. Purely poetic words and words not common in prose are indicated, and references are given to the passages in which they occur. First published in 1894, this is a reprint of the fourth edition (Cambridge University Press, 1960).

In its original printing, this edition of the Autobiography was greeted in Saturday Review as ‘a treasure-house of information on education, monastic life, and the beginnings of the great medieval towns … also delightful reading with its mingling of scholarship and superstition, its stories of necromancy and devils, its other-worldliness warring with human weakness.‘Originally published by Harper Torchbooks, 1970.

This anthology of translated histories, chronicles, saint’s lives, theological treatises, and accounts presents an in-depth analysis of Byzantine art. Focusing on Constantinople, Mango chronicles the arts, and places them in historical, political, and theological perspective. First published in 1972.

An anthology of medieval texts on art. It includes descriptions of lost monuments, theoretical and technical texts which reveal intentions of artists and patrons, liturgical texts which describe the use of medieval artifacts, and other texts which reflect the tastes of the literate public. First published in 1971.

An anthology offering a chronological assessment of a whole range of technical documents on art written by and for clerks, laymen, churchmen, lawyers, city magistrates, and guilds, this text reveals differences in milieu, customs , resources and psychology during different periods. First Published in 1971 by Prentice Hall.

A clear narrative that presents and interprets the major documents of the centuries-long struggle between kings and popes of medieval Europe over the separation of church and state. Few controversies have so indelibly influenced the course of western civilization. A reprint of the 1980 paperback reprint, originally published by Prentice-Hall in 1964.

Originally published by Charles Scribners' Sons, 1974.'The perspective from which [this book] has been written is that of world history; the conviction determining its focus, that of Western cultural peculiarity or singularity; the belief suggesting its unifying theme, that it was during the medieval period - in particular, during the centuries from the eleventh onward - that the foundations were laid on which the edifice of Western cultural peculiarity was subsequently erected.'From the Introduction

A collection of essays that reflect the breadth of twentieth-century scholarship in art history. Kleinbauer has sought to illustrate the variety of methods scholars have developed for conveying the unfolding of the arts in the Western world.Originally published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1971.

For centuries philologists, linguists, and historians have read medieval books to study the language of a given work or to establish an accurate and readable text. Art historians also have considered illuminated manuscripts as important repositories for works of art. But in recent decades new interest has developed in the over-all physical format of the medieval book and its historical context – how manuscript books were made and how they have deepened our understanding of the intellectual and social milieu of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.One of the richest storehouses of early manuscripts is Yale University’s Beinecke Library. Its collection provides the basis for Barbara Shailor’s fully illustrated study of the medieval book and its place in society.Shailor first examines the manuscript books as an archaeological artifact of a period when mass-production was unknown and every volume had to be written and assembled by hand. She then groups books by genre – both religious and secular – to show how the contents of a volume and its function within society influenced its physical appearance and the way in which it was produced. A brief look at the transition from manuscript to printed book concludes the survey.Originally published by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in 1988, this work has quickly become an indispensable guide for scholars in a wide range of medieval studies.

The nine essays in this collection, selected from La théologie au douzième siècle, inquire into the historical context and origins of medieval scholasticism. They are representative of Chenu's finest work.'If Père Chenu considers "history of theology" to be the central concern of this collection, it is because he conceives of theology as an all-encompassing science, one which reflects the comprehensive unity of intellectual life as that develops within a culture. Literary history and criticism, cultural history, philosophy, biblical exegesis, historiography, ecclesiastical and social history, the history of education-all these and more are here involved, in their interdependence.' -- From the Translators' NoteFirst published as La théologie au douzième siècle by J. Vinn, 1957. English translation published by University of Chicago Press, 1968

The spread of the Arthurian legend during the course of the twelfth century is one of the most remarkable phenomena in literary history. Arthurian Chronicles looks at two unsung but deserving poets who contributed to the diffusion of the legend, Wace who preceded the more famous Chretien de Troyes, and Layamon, who followed him.Wace was of an inquiring turn of mind, with, for his day, a scholarly and sceptical approach to lais, marvellous tales, and fables. `Not all lies, nor all true, all foolishness, nor all sense. So much have the story-tellers told, and so much have the makers of fables fabled to embellish their stories, that they have made all seem fable,' he writes. He was the first to mention the famous Round Table.In Layamon's Brut, Arthur, hero and emperor, makes his first appearance in English vernacular literature. It is Layamon who tells of the elves that attended on the infant Arthur and endowed him with gifts and qualities; he also launched Arthur after his last battle to Argante in Avallon, to be healed of his wounds.In this English language prose translation of the Wace and Layamon Arthurian poems, the folk-tale ferocity of Arthur is made as exciting to the readers as to the poets who contributed so much to Arthur's legend.Originally published by J.M. Dent & Sons,1962.

Marie de France, one of the best-known medieval women, is justly famous for her Lais, but her longer work, the Fables, has been newly discovered by modern audiences. This collection of 103 tales is the earliest extant vernacular collection of fables from western Europe.Marie de France's sources are not clear; she appears to claim a unique source, but that is obviously not true; the first forty tales are part of the Latin tradition, specifically the Romulus Nilantii, but the other sixty-three seem to come from all over: other Greek and Latin works, fabliaux, monks' tales, the Panchatantra, and the folk traditions of Italy, Germany, Greece, France, and the Middle East. Whatever her source, she contributed her own perspective - a wry fatalism, timely social commentary, and a feminine perspective.Harriet Spiegel's translation follows the original closely; the rhyming couplets not only render the tone and form of Marie de France's text with sympathy and fidelity, but also are particularly apt for the genre and sit squarely in the tradition of the English verse fable.Originally published by University of Toronto Press, 1987.

The seeds of heresy are contained in Christianity itself, which began as a religion of dissent. In the Middle Ages the Church was the main focus of intellectual activity, and its spiritual leaders themselves often questioned the practices and beliefs which heretics openly challenged.The documentary analysed in this volume trace the development of popular heresy from its beginnings. Four main themes are presented: the first manifestations of popular dissent in the eleventh century; the emergence of evangelical anticlericalism in the twelfth century; the infiltration of western heterodoxy in the mid-1100s; and the establishment and early organization of Cathar Churches in southern France and northern Italy which ultimately led to the inquisition.Originally published by Edward Arnold, 1975.

Selections from English Wycliffite Writings gathers together the main sources for the study of the Lollard movement, the documents of the Lollards themselves. Inspired and influenced by the writings of the heretical fourteenth century Oxford professor John Wyclif, Lollardy was the spiritual predecessor of the sixteenth century Reformation movement in England. Persecuted for their radical beliefs after 1425, the Lollards were well known for their possession of books, quires, and pamphlets in English, and left behind a considerable body of literature discussing religious and political reform which remain the best source for understanding the Lollards and their beliefs. Anne Hudson has gathered together a wide and varied selection of twenty-seven primary texts written between 1385 and 1425 by members of the Lollard sect in England, illustrating the variety of Lollard tracts, sermons, and satires, as well as the range of Lollard interests and preoccupations. The book is divided into four sections: The Nature of Wycliffite Belief; The Lollards and the Bible; Lollard Polemic; and Lollard Doctrine. The text is in Middle English with extensive supplemental notes. Originally published by Cambridge University Press in 1978, this new MART edition comes with a newly revised and updated bibliography by the author.

During the past thirty years, the study of medieval families has emerged as a focus of discussion in European history. Largely unexplored in professional publications and teaching curricula until the 1970s, family history is now accepted as an aspect of medieval history essential to the development of the period's institutions and culture, and a field useful to comparative family studies.The present volume brings together essays by historians, art historians, and literary scholars about the structures, social functions, and emotional characteristics of families in the middle ages, from demographic, legal, theological, art historical, and literary sources according to a broad array of theoretical approaches. Presenting these materials in the chronological order of its constituent articles' publication, the collection reveals how scholars of the 1970s through the 1990s argued the importance of previously unconsidered questions about the shape of medieval familial experience, and how their mutual information and criticism has refined and added to this investigation in the intervening period. The introduction and bibliography enable both beginning students and medievalists newly interested in family studies to set the articles gathered here in the context of the later twentieth-century transformation of medieval studies and, more broadly, historical scholarship. These supporting materials, like the eleven articles, affirm the profoundly interdisciplinary character of contemporary medieval studies.

The Scandinavian influence was the earliest, and arguably one of the strongest external forces that went into the making of modern English. Consequently, a knowledge of the Icelandic language is of utmost importance. Not only does Icelandic supply a linguistic basis for such a study, it also provides the source of a great deal of the necessary information for the understanding of medieval British history. Old Icelandic literature, both in poetry and prose, presents a wealth of interesting material, which in some respects stands unrivalled among the literatures of medieval Europe, and without which, one's knowledge of the ancient North would certainly be limited.First published in England in 1910 and last printed in 1975, Geir T. Zoega's A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic has long been the foremost reference source for the Icelandic language. Compiled on the general principle of including all the words the ordinary student of Icelandic is likely to meet, the dictionary has helped to bring about a wider interest in the language and literature of Iceland and is considered an essential complement to the study of medieval Nordic literature.