Medieval Literature: Origins, Characteristics, and Chronicles
Medieval Literature: An Overview
The Medieval period typically spans from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. It is usually divided into the Early Middle Ages and the High Middle Ages.
Key Features of Medieval Society and Thought
- Society was divided into three estates: nobility, clergy, and peasants, who worked for a feudal lord. Later, a fourth group emerged: the bourgeoisie, engaged in trade and crafts.
- Culture was centered around the royal courts and monasteries. Knowledge gradually spread to the urban class.
- Christianity was the dominant influence, shaping literature and thought. Writers often used literary techniques with a primarily religious purpose.
- Troubadour lyric poetry flourished.
- Women in feudal society were often relegated to secondary roles, resulting in fewer examples of female authorship.
- The concept of plagiarism was not well-defined. Imitation of famous writers was common.
- Our understanding of medieval literature is based on surviving texts.
- Texts were initially written on wax tablets and then transcribed onto parchment, a slow and expensive process. Paper arrived from China in the 13th century, and printing in 1450 revolutionized information dissemination.
The Birth of Catalan
Catalan emerged from the evolution of Vulgar Latin, making Latin literature more accessible to the common people. As dialects gained importance, communication between inhabitants of different territories improved. In 813, it was recommended to preach in the vernacular rather than Latin, and by the 9th century, we can speak of the Romance languages.
Early Catalan Texts
The earliest Latin texts in Catalan continued to use codes commonly used until the 13th century. This Latin, however, was full of grammatical and lexical irregularities, reflecting the influence of the vernacular. From the late 11th century, some documents of a feudal nature were written entirely in Catalan, such as the Ombudsman Isarn Guitard, lord of Caboet. Two different translations of the Forum iudicum, a book of laws, represent the oldest translation from the first half of the 12th century, though only a fragment has been preserved. The Organyà Homilies are the best-known example of archaic Catalan writing. Paradoxically, the learned language used in Catalonia will evolve naturally from Latin to Catalan.
The Four Great Chronicles
The four great chronicles, written in the second half of the 13th century and the end of the Hall, offer recent historical and contemporary accounts.
- Book of Facts by King James I
- Peter Bernard Desclot
- Chronicle of Ramon Muntaner
- Peter the Ceremonious
These chronicles have a close relationship with the royal court, either delivered or supervised directly by the monarch (as in the case of James I and Peter the Ceremonious), or written by people who maintained a close relationship with the monarchy (such as the enigmatic Bernard Desclot and Ramon Muntaner). Their intentions were to narrate known and remembered events, praise the royal house, justify the actions of monarchs, and provide models for future kings (a “mirror of princes”). What makes the Catalan chronicles unique is that they primarily discuss contemporary events experienced firsthand.