Medieval literature covers European literature from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Religious subjects were common due to the church’s role in education, but secular works also existed, including heroic epics and courtly love stories. Humorous writing was also prevalent.
Medieval literature is a very diverse subject. The term covers European literature during the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 15th century, spanning a period of approximately 15 years. Consequently, it is difficult to make generalizations about medieval literature. However, some general trends can be identified.
Allegory and symbolism are common in medieval literature, perhaps more so than in modern writing. Religious and philosophical messages were often conveyed through the use of figures, such as the panther, an animal that represented Christ. Old Norse and Irish poetry often contain figures of bewildering complexity which allowed listeners who bewildered them to take pride in their mastery of the form.
One of the most striking features of medieval literature is the prevalence of religious subjects. For much of the Middle Ages, the church was the primary source of education. Literacy was common among priests, monks and nuns, but rarer among laymen, although it increased steadily during the period, particularly among wealthy landowners and merchants. This imbalance meant that much medieval literature centered on Christian subjects, including the works of theologians and philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquinas. One of the most famous religious works of the period was The Golden Legend, a collection of stories about saints by Jacobus de Voraigne.
However, not all medieval literature was religious in nature. Secular poems and prose works told about the deeds of semi-legendary heroes and villains. Examples of this type of work include the French Song of Roland and Beowulf, an Old English poem about a hero’s battles against a series of monsters. Other popular heroes in medieval literature included El Cid, a Spanish hero, and King Arthur, a legendary Welsh character who became the protagonist of numerous works in French and English. Medieval Iceland produced a highly developed literary culture, with sophisticated poems and sagas relating the exploits of Viking Age heroes.
Medieval writers dealt with both love and adventure, particularly from the 11th century onwards in France and southern Europe. Stories and poems of “courtly love” – a refined and noble expression of love between two people who were usually not married – were popular in this region. Elements of these romance tales also made their way into the heroic epic, resulting in love stories such as the story of Lancelot and Guinevere.
Medieval literature also contained a strong humorous strain. Comic songs and poems were popular, and works such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales provided biting satires on contemporary society. Chaucer’s work drew on French short stories called fabliaux, which were part of a rich continental tradition of humorous writing.
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