Reading Medieval Latin

An anthology of chronologically and thematically arranged medieval Latin texts aimed at students with one year or more of Latin.

Keith Sidwell (Author)

9780521447478, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 August 1995

418 pages, 8 maps
20.6 x 14.7 x 2.5 cm, 0.5 kg

"Keith Sidwell promises his readers a selection of Medieval Latin readings that will give a relatively unskilled Latinist a sound introduction to Medieval Latin from the beginnings of 'Christian Latin' to the twelfth-century Renaissance. Sidwell's book in fact offers his readers even more than he promises. His impressive knowledge of numerous aspects of medieval studies, his lively sense of human interest, and his enjoyment of the humorous make Reading Medieval Latin an illuminating and stimulating study of the Middle Ages." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Reading Medieval Latin is an introduction to medieval Latin in its cultural and historical context and is designed to serve the needs of students who have completed the learning of basic classical Latin morphology and syntax. (Users of Reading Latin will find that it follows on after the end of section 5 of that course.) It is an anthology, organised chronologically and thematically in four parts. Each part is divided into chapters with introductory material, texts, and commentaries which give help with syntax, sentence-structure, and background. There are brief sections on medieval orthography and grammar, together with a vocabulary which includes words (or meanings) not found in standard classical dictionaries. The texts chosen cover areas of interest to students of medieval history, philosophy, theology, and literature.

Introduction
Part I. The Foundations of Christian Latin: 1. Education
2. Liturgy and divine office
3. The Bible
4. The Church fathers
5. The new Christian genres
Part II. Early Medieval Latin: 6. Hiberno-Latin
7. Anglo-Latin
8. Continental Latin
9. The Carolingian Renaissance
10. The Ottonian Renaissance
Part III. From the End of the Ottonian Renaissance (1002) to the Concordat of Worms (1122): 11. The Norman conquests
12. The 'Investiture Contest'
13. The First Crusade
14. Philosophy and theology
15. Poetry
Part IV. The Twelfth-Century Renaissance: 16. The schools and the scholastic method
17. The religious life
18. Theology and philosophy
19. Historical writing
20. Court literature
Grammar
Orthography
Note on vocabulary
Vocabulary.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF]