The most important works of English Medieval literature

 

By English Medieval literature, I exclude the works of English literature before the Norman Conquest as I personally see the Old English era as distinct from the Medieval English one. Thus, this post is mostly concerned with works written in Middle English. 

It should also be noted that when I am saying ''medieval'' in this article, I am only referring to those people that lived in western Europe from the beginning of the middle ages through the Renaissance. Although the academics would prefer the word to now include those in other regions, I prefer to confine in its meeting in a limited application as scholars traditionally understood it. With that, I proceed towards what I wish to discuss. 

1. Introduction: Medieval People liked books and nature

C. S. Lewis knew well that the Middle Ages were not the ''Dark Ages.'' He praised medieval people in fact for their philosophical understanding:

''At his most characteristic, medieval man was not a dreamer nor a wonderer. He was an organizer, a codifier, a builder of systems. He wanted 'a place for everything and everything in the right place.' Distinction, definition tabulation, were his delight. Though full of turbulent activities, he was equally full of the impulse to formalize them. War was (in intention) formalized by the art of heraldry and the rules of chivalry; sexual passion (in intention), by an elaborate code of love. Highly original and soaring a philosophical speculation squeezes itself into a rigid dialectical pattern copied from Aristotle. Studies like Law and Moral Theology, which demand the ordering of very diverse particulars, especially flourish. Every way in which a poet can write (including some in which he had much better not) is classified in the Arts of Rhetoric. There was nothing which medieval people liked better, or did better, than sorting out and tidying up. Of all our modern inventions I suspect that they would most have admired the card index.'' *1

Lewis went even further elsewhere. He understood that medieval people were actually more knowledgeable of books than many are today (despite the fact, that many medievals were illiterate):

"But the Middle Ages depended predominantly on books. Though literacy was of course far rarer than now, reading was in one way a more important ingredient of the total culture.'' *2

It may seem strange to us how in Medieval Times could have been book knowledgeable despite being illiterate. But let us remember that not only did many people learn stories from troubadours and minstrels, but unlike our time, there were so many distractions. People didn't have computers, phones, etc. Indeed, more time was spent with nature as Lewis records:

''Why the ancients made so little of Nature, and the medievals so much, maybe easier to understand after a glance at her history.''*3

More could be said here, about the love of books, and of nature, in the medieval world from Lewis. However, I turn now to the role of religion in the literature of the Middle Ages

2: Religious works of the Middle Ages

It would be hard to discuss Medieval religion without a brief mention of Augustine of Hippo's works. While Augustine lived during late antiquity and there is debate whether or not he was more ancient or medieval, his theological views certainly greatly impacted many people from the middle ages. Thus, anything from Augustine can be helpful to understanding medieval literature as he is frequently referenced. The City of God and the Confessions are not Augustine's only works, but they are probably his most well known. 

As the middle ages were very religious, most western works will reference past saints and theologians. The Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas and The City of God by Saint Augustine of Hippo are the most important theological works from the Middle Ages according to historian Norman F. Cantor. 

3: The impact of Medieval piety

Understanding the Middle Ages has a lot to do with understanding the literature of its time. The arts of any era or period of history tell us something about the religious worldview of Medieval people as Medieval literature teaches us about the strong Christianity of Medieval Times. Speaking of G. A. Henty's Wulf the Saxon, Presbyterian Doug Jones say this of Medieval Times: 

''Sooner, or later, modern Christians will come to respect Christian Medievalism. The medieval period was the closest thing we have ever had to a maturing Christian culture. It was far from perfect, but it was more mature in many ways than our barbarous age...*5

The strong Christianity of the Medieval world cannot be underestimated. The crusades, the inquisitions, the executions of heretics, have given the impression to many modern people that the Middle Ages were somehow a dark era of superstition and ignorance. While much more could be said of these criticisms of the Middle Ages, the recently deceased Jonathan Riley Smith, a convert to Roman Catholicism, who is regarded as one of the greatest historians of the crusades, said this in defense of the them:

 ''A Crusade was fought against those perceived to be the external or internal foes of Christendom for the recovery of Christian property or in defense of the church of Christian people. Injuries to Christians and the Church provided crusaders with the opportunity of expressing love for their oppressed or threatened brothers in a just cause, which was always related to that of Christendom as a whole...''*6

The piety of Medieval mystics has long intrigued Christians for many ages. The Baptist minister John Bunyan took from concepts about holy war and medieval allegory into his writings. Likewise, the Baptist minister, Charles Spurgeon, was both intrigued and in admiration of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a spiritual leader from the Second Crusade (1147-1149). Spurgeon quoted Saint Bernard more than sixty times in his writings.

In summary, even Christians through the ages who have not agreed with the established hierarchy or certain dogmas of the Medieval Roman Church, have appreciated it for passing down the scriptures faithfully from one generation to the next. Additionally, many of the Christian themes about chivalry towards women, pilgrimage towards heaven, and monasticism, have been even influential on those that are less positive in their attitude to the common social conventions of Medieval times. With all of this said, I now proceed to the main part of this post.

4. Reading Medieval literature means understanding the phycology of those from the Middle Ages.

Imagine that I write you a letter and tell you that I love you. The ink words that you read on paper from me reflect my values, what is important to me, and what I think about. Now, imagine that I write for a much longer period of time and debate you about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Whether you see my discussion as significant or not, you see that this is an issue that matters to me. Likewise, medieval monks and friars could spend hours in prayer or writing in defense of the Christian faith. This was the medieval world that many medievalist love, albeit quite different than what mainstream news will often tell you. 

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer hints to the division of Lollardly and Roman Catholicism. When Chaucer mocks the abuse of power of some in the Roman Church, he is telling something not just about their error, but about his beliefs. When the pardoner speaks in the Pardoner's Tale, Chaucer finds all opportunity to expose a corrupt clergyman whom brags on taking money from people through indulgences:

First I pronouence whennes that I come,

And than my bulles shewe I, alle and somme.

Our liege lordes seel on my patente,

That shewe I first, my body to warente,

That no many be so bold, ne preest ne clerk,

Me to destourbe of Christes holy werk;

And after that than telle I forth may tales,

Bulles of popes and cardinals,

Of patriarkes, and bishoppes I shew;

And in Latyn I speke a wordes fewe,

To saffron with my predicacioun,

And for to stire men to devocioun.

Than shewe I forth my longe cristal stone,

Y-crammed ful of cloutes and of bone;

Reliks been they, as wenen they echoon.

Basically, the pardoner takes money from relics that may well be illegitimate! To make matters worse, he takes no shame in his action! The point of this passage is to show that Chaucer knew well of corruption in the Roman Church. Of course, where Chaucer religiously stood has been debated by scholars. Some have claimed that Chaucer was a follow of Wycliffe. Others, however, say that Chaucer was a faithful Roman Catholic that was against abuse in the church. Additionally, some say that Chaucer was satirizing the extremes of Lollardly. History clearly records Chaucer having friends both within the Lollard and Roman Catholic ranks. The fact that Chaucer was a student of Wycliffe, and yet friends with Dominicans against the Lollards, can be quite puzzling and leave us wondering to where he really stood. 

Many works of Medieval literature reflect the intense theology of the time. Whether it is the Mass being spoken of in the Old French Queste del Saint Graal, or Mariology in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, references to theology are almost always visible in these stories. The more we read Medieval literature, the more we understand the worldview of many from that time.

5: Must reads from English Medieval literature

Sir Orfeo

The Book of Margery Kempe

Piers Plowman by William Langla

Patience

Pearl

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the other stories about Gawain stories. 

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (though basically anything from Chaucer is essential)

Troilus and Cressida by Geoffrey Chaucer

Love Visions by Geoffrey Chaucer

Everyman

Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

While this is a short list of principle works of Medieval English literature, it would be wise to read Medieval literature from other countries outside of England to help understand it. The Song of Roland and The Romance of the Rose are essential reads from Medieval French literature, and The Divine Comedy by Dante, The Decameron by Bocaccio, and the Canonization by Petrarch are important works from Italy. Old French and Anglo-Norman works can be especially important for understanding Medieval English literature including The Lais by Marie de France and Wace's Roman de Rou. Finally, of course, works from Britain not written in the English language can still be quite relevant including Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. I also didn't mention all the Arthurian stories in my above list, but the more to read, the merrier!

6: Conclusion

So if you really want to understand Medieval literature, make sure to read at least the works listed in this article. The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain is a great source along the way!

References: 

1*(.10) 2*(p.5) ( 3*(p.37)Lewis, C. S. The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. (1964). Cambridge University Press. 

4*Cantor, Norman F. The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages (1999). Penguin Group. 

5*Henty, G. A. Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest. (1998). Preston/Speed Publications. 

6*Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Crusades (2005). Second edition.