por Some of the most common themes of medieval literature are love, chivalric adventures, conquests or religion. Medieval literature is developed in the Middle Ages, which is considered a transition stage that precedes the Modern Age, located between the ancient Greco-Roman era and Renaissance.
Many historians record this period as a period without its own features, showing a regression from ancient times in art and culture. However, medieval literature is rich in capturing the religious thought and feeling so deeply rooted at that time.
Medieval writings not only talk about religious themes, but also give themselves the task of recreating in their words mythical creatures, armored knights, palaces in exotic places and countless Dantesque adventures, which make these books an important part of the time and form a jewel of universal literature.
Themes of medieval literature
Religion
This is the most recurring theme in medieval literature, since it is responsible for dictating all the rules of behavior, morality and good customs of society.
Theology, the lives of the saints and the interpretations of the sacred scriptures are other common themes.
Philosophical themes protected by religious guidelines are also exposed and, in parallel, works with prohibited themes such as magic, alchemy and astrology appear.
love and war
The lyrical genre in the form of prose and poetry honors love and the feats of the great wars.
These writings were disseminated orally, through minstrels and singers.
travel and adventure
Medieval literature has a didactic function and appropriates the story and the fable to convey the adventures and journeys of heroic characters of that time.
Initially, Latin is used as the language and then it expands, using the languages of each of the places where the stories are popularized.
Spirituality
Many works at this time refer to spirituality, the search for God and the way to find him through contemplation, prayer, anonymity and the cloister.
At this time many monasteries arose, where they lived in total isolation from society.
Manners and rules of behavior
In the Middle Ages, manners were assigned a privileged place in social gatherings.
There were great celebrations in the castles, which included banquets that flattered noble and educated knights. Therefore, it was necessary to implement minimum rules of behavior and conduct when eating, dancing, dressing and speaking.
Biography and autobiography
The biographical and autobiographical writings of that time recreated the life, feats, love, heartbreak, suffering and human confrontations of the most illustrious characters of the time: kings, monarchs, warriors and religious.
Works of medieval literature were written, transcribed, and kept in monasteries. Initially it was written on goat or sheep skins and with ink made from water, charcoal and rubber.
The writers are little recognized, due to the anonymity or the lack of publication of their works.
References
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES VIRTUAL LIBRARY. (nd). Retrieved from cervantesvirtual.com
Characteristics. (nd). Retrieved from features.co
librosvivos.net. (nd). Retrieved from librosvivos.net
Protocol & Etiquette. (2009). Retrieved from protocol.org
Reguilón, AM (nd). arteguias. Obtained from arteguias.com
Stella. (2014). espaciolibros.com. Retrieved from espaciolibros.com.