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Ch. 14 Sec. 4

Life & Culture in the Middle Ages

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Language & Literature

While Latin remained the language of educated people, ordinary people spoke vernacular languages, everyday speech that varies from place to place

During the Middle ages writers began using vernacular languages in literature

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Early forms of vernacular literature included the songs of troubadours, traveling singers who entertained people w/ poems about love & chivalry

Romances such as the adventures of King Arthur were also popular

The French wrote short comic stories in verse & animal stories, or fables

Another vernacular form was the national epic, a long poem about a hero

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Dante Alighieri – his work The Divine Comedy is considered one of the world’s greatest works of literature

In his imaginary journey through the afterlife, Dante criticized Italian society by placing key figures in hell

Bcuz he wrote in the Tuscan dialect, it became Italy’s written language & some consider Dante the father of Italian language

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Geoffrey Chaucer – most famous work is The Canterbury Tales, a group of stories told by 30 pilgrims traveling together to the shrine at Canterbury

Chaucer’s pilgrims poke fun at English society, especially clergy who were profiting from their occupation

Chaucer wrote in a vernacular dialect known as Middle English & he greatly influenced the language & style of later writers

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Education

As towns grew larger, schools opened & teachers & students often formed a guild called a universitas to protect & gain rights for themselves

Universities soon arose throughout Europe

Students had to pass certain stages of study to receive degrees

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The first degree was the bachelor of arts, which was like finishing an apprenticeship in a craft guild

The second degree was the master of arts, which admitted students to the guild of teaching

Some students went on to study law, medicine or theology

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Philosophy & ScienceMedieval philosophers studied Greek

& Roman philosophersThey tried to make Aristotle’s ideas,

based on reason, work w/ early Christian writings, which were based on faith

Scholasticism was the medieval philosophy that attempted to bring together faith & reason

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Peter Abelard, an important philosopher of scholasticism, questioned many of the church’s teachings

Perhaps the greatest medieval philosopher was Thomas Aquinas, a scholar & monk who summarized medieval Christian thought

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Few scientific advances were made during the Middle Ages bcuz the Bible & church were the main sources for info. about the world

Some technical advances, such as windmills, helped w/ everyday life

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Architecture

Church architecture was the main art form in the Middle Ages

At first most architecture was Romanesque, like that of the Romans

During the mid-1100s, builders developed a style of church architecture called Gothic, characterized by tall spires & flying buttresses

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Buttresses carried part of the roof’s weight, allowing church walls to reach high toward heaven

Large stained-glass windows filled churches w/ light

Magnificent Gothic cathedrals were constructed throughout Europe

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