uct 3: middle ages

augustine

philosopher, theologian, and saint who wrote one of the west’s first autobiography

what book did augustine write?

confessions

arthur

fictional medieval king of britain and husband of guinevere; put lanval on trial

beatrice

arranged for virgil to guide dante through hell; the object of dante’s love

bede

english author and historian who lived during the early middle ages; helped create BC/AD system and easter

what book did bede write?

the ecclesiastical history of the english people

brutus

roman politician who assassinated julius caesar; in the lowest circle of hell

caedmon

a cow-herd in a monastery who’s story represents the institution of christian life

who created the first poem in the english language?

caedmon

andreas capellanus

french author who wrote a handbook on love

what book did capellanus write?

the art of courtly love/de amore

cassius

roman senator and general who instigated the assassination of julius caesar; in the lowest circle of hell

catholic church

the largest, and arguably oldest, church that had immense political, economic, and social power over medieval western europe

charon

mythological ferryman of the greek underworld/dante’s hell

constantine

roman emperor who legalized christianity in 313 AD

contrapasso

latin term meaning the punishment fits the crime

conversion

a personal and spiritual journey in which someone turns from polytheism or atheism to the belief in Jesus Christ

who experienced famous conversions?

augustine and king edwin

courtly love

a medieval type of romantic devotion between nobles or people of the upper class

who wrote on courtly love?

capellanus and marie de france

dante alighieri

italian poet and writer who wrote on the migration of the soul and the circles of hell

dark wood

the starting point of the inferno that represents moral/spiritual confusion and being lost in sin

dryhthelm

an english man who became a monk after dying from illness and experiencing a vision of purgatory and the gates of heaven and hell

edwin

anglo-saxon king who’s conversion represents the beginning of christian life

fairy queen

a beautiful lady who offers to become lanval’s lover and bestow riches upon him so long as he keeps their relationship secret; saves him from king arthur’s court and emasculates him in the process

fall of rome/rise of church

the transformation from a fragmented empire to a medieval christendom

francesca and paolo

tragic lovers who were killed by francesca’s husband; dante speaks to them in the second circle of hell (lust) and becomes filled with pity and sorrow

guinevere

fictional medieval queen of britain and wife of arthur; attempted to seduce lanval and accused him of treason when he insulted her

hero’s journey

a universal storytelling structure that describes a protagonist who leaves their familiar world, faces a major crisis or trial, and returns transformed

history model

the idea that history is cyclical and can serve as a model for the future

holy roman empire

a sprawling political union that dominated central europe for over a millennium

homer in the inferno

appears in limbo alongside other master writers; depicted as the master and sovereign poet of all others

ulysses in the inferno

appears in the eighth circle of hell (fraud) among the false counselors for his deceitful schemes in the trojan war

incontinence

stems from a failure of self-restraint and moderation rather than a malicious intent to do harm

incontinence in the inferno

the first and least severe of the three main categories of sin; these souls reside in upper hell (circles 2-5), located outside the walled city of dis

judas iscariot

one of the thirteen disciples of Jesus who betrayed Him; in the lowest circle of hell

lais

short narrative poems in french literature

lanval

a knight of the round table who gains renown among his fellow knights after the fairy queen bestows treasures upon him; faces trial after insulting the queen and is saved by his lover

leopard

an animal in the dark wood that represents lust

limbo

the first circle of hell where virtuous people who existed before the time of Christ reside

lion

an animal in the dark wood that represents pride

marie de france

a french poet who lived in england and wrote on secular love and social commentary

minos

the greek mythological king of crete who stands at the entrance to the second circle of hell and judges sinners

qualifications to be in dante’s hell

1) you’re dead 2) you’ve sinned 3) you’re unrepentant

written word’s power

written words hold permanent, far-reaching power to shape human thought, preserve history, and influence emotions

souls without disgrace/praise (the neutrals)

souls that are trapped in the vestibule of hell because they went through life refusing to take a moral stand; neither good nor evil and are rejected by heaven and hell

typology

the process of sorting concepts into distinct categories based on similar characteristics

what are examples of typology?

isaac/Jesus & augustine/the garden of eden

she-wolf

an animal in the dark wood that represents greed

what job did augustine have at the end of his life?

bishop of hippo regius in north africa

what is the first book of confessions about?

identity

how does anamnesis relate to confessions?

our identity/memories from before we are born that are not there yet

what is the second book of confessions about?

sin and adolescence

what is the fifth book of confessions about?

plato

what was augustine’s theology a mix of?

paul’s letters and plato’s philosophy

what allowed plato to have thoughts that aligned with christianity?

anamnesis

what is the eighth book of confessions about?

conversion

what is augustine’s conversion ultimately about?

arriving home to God

what is bibliomancy?

a practice of divination in which one opens a bible to a random verse that speaks directly to them

what is the answer to many of the questions posed in on the consolation of philosophy?

we can’t know or comprehend (why God does things)

what is a boethian complaint?

a lament done in the face of death or misfortune

what is lady philosophy’s appearance an allegory for?

human’s inability to fathom or understand things of divine nature

what are lady philosophy’s clothes an allegory for?

the idea that philosophy is made up of texts as clothes are made up of textiles, and their dirty states represent the idea that philosophy is neglected and considered old

what does the π on lady philosophy’s robe represent?

practical

what does the θ on lady philosophy’s robe represent?

theoretical

how is the fact that lady philosophy’s robe is torn allegorical?

it represents the fact that mankind takes pieces of philosophy they like (practical), but ignore the rest

how does lady philosophy diagnose boethius’ despair?

by telling him that he has forgotten what he is and has lost his grasp on how the universe is ordered

what does the blindfold lady fortune wears represent?

that she does not care of the random and blind nature of fate

boethius

a roman senator, historian, and philosopher

what book did boethius write?

on the consolation of philosophy

what is the main question of on the consolation of philosophy?

why do bad things happen to good people?

is a cruel or careless god better?

cruel, because there is reason behind their actions

what is stoicism?

a philosophy that is centered on a passionless, rational response to the world

what did bede’s work focus on?

God’s role in divine providence and the unfolding of His plan

what is divine providence?

the theological idea that God governs and guides all things toward a purposeful end (pro = future, video = see)

what type of view did bede possess?

promising and constructive

what type of view did boethius possess?

dark(er)

what did bede view history as?

conformed constructs of God’s plan

how did edwin and augustine’s conversions differ?

edwin’s was collectivist and augustine’s was individualistic

what is the sparrow a metaphor for?

human life; the hall was a place of gathering and safety while the outside was dangerous and unknown

why did edwin agree with his advisor regarding conversion?

norse paganism lacked a system, certainty, and explanation

what was a turning point for england (in regards to christianity)?

edwin’s conversion

what does the latin term scop mean?

poet

what is an example of divine sanctioning in the ecclesiastical history of the english people?

language becoming permitted to be used to worship God

what is dryhthelm’s story a warning for?

what happens after death if christian living is ignored

when did augustine die?

420 AD

when did boethius die?

525 AD

when did bede die?

735 AD

when did marie de france die?

1215 AD

what is the first rule of the art of courtly love?

love is a certain inborn suffering derived form the sight and excessive meditation upon the beauty of the opposite sex, which causes each one to wish above all things the embraces of the other and by shared desire to carry out all of love’s precepts in the other’s embrace

what is the second rule of the art of courtly love?

love gets its name from the word for hook, which means ‘to capture’

what is the third rule of the art of courtly love?

if you’re in love, you can’t be greedy and you are automatically handsome with the nobility of character; love makes you virtuous

what are the three angles of capellanus’ triangle?

love, suffering, nobility

what must you do when you are in love according to capellanus?

perform the fact that you’re in love

what are the three angles of the rheotrical triangle?

topic, audience, purpose

how is lanval a gender aware commentary on the court?

the fairy queen was put in a position of power while lanval was emasculated and criticized

what king was lanval written under?

king henry ii

how does the inferno reflect courtly love?

dante’s journey was designed by beatrice and he suffered during it

how does the inferno represent platonic forms?

dante travels throughout hell and purgatory to end up at the light of truth

what is the magic number in the inferno

three (33 total cantos, each canto is 33 3-line verses)