The Saint in Medieval Literature
S. C. Aston
In a notable collection of medieval studies,l the late Albert Pauphilet devoted his first chapter to 'Le Mythe du Moyen Age'. He was there concerned primarily with diversely coloured pictures which, over last 400 years, succeeding generations scholars, artists, and writers have presented that falsely designated 'period', very name which implies notion uniform interregnum extending millennium Gothic twilight elapsed between end Classical Antiquity so-called Renaissance century. Before we smile tolerantly at errors our predecessors should perhaps remember that, although in recent years Modern Humanities begun share concern colleagues historical sciences for flux rather than 'periods' history, still tend literary studies, if only subconsciously, perpetuate an erroneous concept by retention traditional terminology; as specialists various vernacular literatures, distort even further fallacious term, on one hand narrowing it so French studies example, concentrate period I150-I300 virtual exclusion germinal post-Carolingian discordant fourteenth fifteenth centuries, and, other hand, applying cultures scarcely knew term itself necessarily depends. More seriously perhaps, expanded world twentieth century, are profoundly conditioned humanistic vision intellectual outlook Middle Ages saw Christian Europe, Western Europe particular, centre civilized beyond lay untutored lesser breeds without moral law. It is paradoxical, too, while look back Hellenic Latin sources culture, continue large measure follow ancestors ignoring or disdaining Byzantium.
Modern Language Review