Medieval Culture Quick Question: In what language was most scholarly writing done? LATIN Slight problem: Only scholars could read it!

Language and Literature In the late middle ages, authors began writing in the “vernacular” language “Vernacular”= Local Language Dante was a writer in Florence, Italy When he wrote scholarly works, he wrote in Latin When he wrote poetry he wrote in Italian “It’s much easier to criticize people in Italian” Dante wrote “The Divine Comedy.” In the book he put his friends in heaven and his enemies in hell.

Geoffrey Chaucer “Canterbury Tales,” 1340 Chaucer wrote in English He poked fun at various types of people in English society, like the nobles and the clergy. Why do you think it was widely read? Because it was in a language people could understand and people didn’t like the nobles or the higher clergy

Universities Four major universities were established between the late 1000’s and late 1200’s University of Paris and Oxford specialized in theology and liberal arts Theology = Religion Liberal Arts = Latin grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music

The University of Bologna specialized in Canon (Church) law and Civil law

Philosophy Medieval scholars were often members of the “Regular” Clergy Obviously they looked to the Christian faith to explain the world around them They had a problem with Greek philosophy/classic philosophers Why? The Greeks weren’t Christian! Sorry if my ideas don’t contain anything Christian. It hadn’t been invented yet

Scholasticism Scholasticism was a new philosophy that tried to balance human reason and logic with religious faith Aristotle used human reason and logic to explain things Medieval scholars had little use for reason and logic. They wanted a religious explanation for everything. St. Thomas Aquinas was a famous Scholastic philosopher. I’ll prove that every point of church doctrine can be arrived at by logic and reason as well as faith!

Architecture Church architecture was the dominant form of expression. People started to get wealthy, because of growth of trade. They used their wealth to create monuments to God. Early church architecture was Romanesque Thick walls and small windows

Kinda looks like a barn, no?

Gothic Architecture Gothic Architecture replaced Romanesque Canterbury Cathedral, England Large Windows Thinner Walls How’d they do it?

Notre Dame, Paris It’s the Flying Buttresses

Flying Buttresses

Gargoyles