Latin Literatures of Medieval and Early Modern Times in Europe and Beyond

Published 2024.

The textual heritage of Medieval Latin is one of the greatest reservoirs of human culture. Repertories list more than 13,174 authors from about 20 modern countries. Until now, there has been no introduction to this world in its full geographical extension. Forty contributors fill this gap by adopting a new perspective, making available to specialists (but also to the interested public) new materials and insights. The project presents an overview of Medieval (and post-medieval) Latin Literatures as a global phenomenon including both Europe and extra-European regions. It introduces to the Latin Middle Ages' complex and multi-layered culture, whose attraction has been underestimated until now. Traditional overviews mostly flatten specificities, yet in many countries medieval Latin literature is still studied with reference to the local history. Thus, the first section presents about 20 regional surveys, including chapters on authors and works of Latin Literature in Eastern Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Following chapters highlight shared patterns of circulation, adaptation, and exchange, and underline the appeal of medieval intermediality, evidenced in manuscripts, maps, scientific treatises and iconotexts, and its performativity in narrations, theatre, sermons, and music. The last section deals with literary 'interfaces,' that is motifs or characters that exemplify the double-sided or the long-term transformations of medieval Latin mythologemes in vernacular culture, both medieval and modern, such as the legends about King Arthur, Faust, and Hamlet.