A Question About Latin

[alcuin18]

Hello. I have a quick question about Latin loterature in the Middle Ages. I know Latin was the language of the government, Church and learning, but was there a great deal of fiction written in Latin? I’ve seen that there’s a great deal of French and English fiction from that period, VT what about Latin? Also was there any Arhurian literature in Latin? Thank you.

 

[Dave_Noonan]

Hello. I have a quick question about Latin loterature in the Middle Ages. I know Latin was the language of the government, Church and learning, but was there a great deal of fiction written in Latin? I’ve seen that there’s a great deal of French and English fiction from that period, VT what about Latin? Also was there any Arhurian literature in Latin? Thank you.

I’m not sure what all is encompassed under your category of fiction (folkloric tales?), but the Carmina Burana contains a great deal of Latin literature that might fit what you’re looking for.

 

[dmar198]

Hello. I have a quick question about Latin loterature in the Middle Ages. I know Latin was the language of the government, Church and learning, but was there a great deal of fiction written in Latin? I’ve seen that there’s a great deal of French and English fiction from that period, VT what about Latin? Also was there any Arhurian literature in Latin? Thank you.

There is some medieval Latin fiction. The best ancient Catholic fiction developed from dramatized versions of true stories – i.e. “historical fiction.” For example, Apollonius of Alexandria wrote a book that told the story of the Crucifixion in the style of Greek tragedy. It is called Christus Patiens. This counts as fiction because all the dialog was invented. Similarly, Catholic poets named Juvencus and Sedulius “translated” the stories of the gospels into a form of writing called “heroic verse,” i.e. the style of Homer and Virgil in the Illiad, the Odyssey, and the Aenid. Sedulius’s most famous book in this style is called Carmen Paschale, which is based on the four gospels, and Juvencus’s most famous book is called Evangeliorum Libri. Also I should give a shoutout here to Prudentius’s Psychomachia and Eudocia’s (fictionalized) Martyrdom of St. Cyprian.

St. Boethius’s book The Consolation of Philosophy has elements of fiction. It describes an encounter with a mystical woman who represents philosophy who comes to meet Boethius in prison and comforts him with a dialog about the really important things in life.

The medieval book Waltharius is about a fictional knight named Walter of Aquitaine. It’s a bit early to be Arthurian, since it was composed in the 800s, but it’s quite chivalric, involving a knight and a lady who he loves, and a sequence of foes who he has to battle in order to accomplish a quest.

In the 900s, the Plays of Roswitha are Latin fiction and are written in the style of Ovid. There is also a genre of fiction from this period called Immrama, which means Tales of Seafarers. Medieval books in this genre of fiction include the Voyage of Mael Duin, the Voyage of the Hui Corra, the Voyage of Snedgus and Mac Riagla, and the Voyage of St. Brendan.

I hope that helps. Please let me know.

 

[alcuin18]

Thank you very much for your answers, they were very informative and helpful, I really appreciate it. God bless.

 

[Dwyer]

Hello. I have a quick question about Latin loterature in the Middle Ages. I know Latin was the language of the government, Church and learning, but was there a great deal of fiction written in Latin? I’ve seen that there’s a great deal of French and English fiction from that period, VT what about Latin? Also was there any Arhurian literature in Latin? Thank you.

Latin Arthurian Literature is primarily an edition and translation of four key Arthurian texts: ‘De ortu Waluanii nepotis Arturi’ (The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur in which Sir Gawain defeats a Persian champion for the peace of Jerusalem); ‘Historia Medriadoci regis Cambrie’ (The Story of Meriadoc, King of Cambria), ‘Narratio de Arthuro rege Britanniae et rege Gorlagon lycanthropo’ (Arthur and Gorlagon); and ‘Epistola Arturi regis ad Henricum regem Anglorum’ (The Letter of King Arthur to Henry, King of England).

This book is a useful addition to Brewer’s Arthurian Archives series. The three romances in it complement the romance editions and translations available in other languages and help make the Latin texts more widely available. The volume will assist in making clear some of the implications of the role a variety of texts play in disseminating and creating an acceptance of the authority of certain aspects of the Arthurian tales.

muse.jhu.edu/article/219974/pdf

Geoffrey of Monmouth’s chronicle *Historia regum Britannie * (History of the Kings of Britain) was written c. 1138 in Latin and contains one of the earliest extensive narratives of King Arthur.

There is also a large body of Medieval Latin Liturgical drama which are mostly though not exclusively various versions of Quem quaeritis (i.e., Whom do you seek?) plays, which focus on the Resurrection of Christ, and were performed (often with a chorus) at Easter inside or outside monasteries, churches, and Cathedrals throughout Western and Central Europe.