The Experience of Beauty in the Middle AgesThis book articulates a new approach to medieval aesthetic values, emphasizing the sensory and emotional basis of all medieval arts, their love of play and fine craftsmanship, of puzzles, and of strong contrasts. Written for a general educated audience as well as students and scholars in the field, it offers an understanding of medieval literature and art that is rooted in the perceptions and feelings of ordinary life, made up of play and laughter as well as serious work. Medieval stylistic values of variety, sweetness, good taste, and ordinary beauty are grounded in classical and medieval biological theories of change and flux in the human body, not only in symbolism and theology. The book will appeal to all lovers of medieval arts, literature, architecture, music, and painting, as well as serious students of religion and the language of beauty. |
Contents
Making Sense | 1 |
1 Artful Play | 16 |
2 Sensory Complexion and Style | 45 |
3 Taking the Bitter with the Sweet | 80 |
4 Taste and Good Taste | 108 |
5 Varietas | 135 |
6 Ordinary Beauty | 165 |
206 | |
227 | |
231 | |
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Common terms and phrases
13th century aesthetic experience Alcuin ancient antiquity Aristotle Aristotle’s artefact artistic audience Augustine Augustine’s autem beauty Bernard of Clairvaux body Bonaventure called Carruthers CCSL Chapter church Cicero colours commentary delight discussion ductus dulcedo dulcis effects emphasizes English enim especially ethical etiam Etym example flavour God’s Greek Gregory Gregory of Nyssa gustus Hagia Sophia Herennium honestus human idea intentio intention Isidore judgement Latin marble means medieval aesthetic medieval arts meditation Middle Ages mixture modern monastic moral nature neoplatonist ofhis ofits ofthe one’s orator painting particular perceive persuasion Peter philosophical play pleasure poem Procopius Psalm pulcher pulchritudo quae qualities quam Quintilian quod rhetoric Rhetorica ad Herennium Roger Bacon sapida sapientia says secundum sensations sense sensory sensu sermon sicut social sort soul speaking style stylistic suavis suavitas sunt sweet taste Theodulph theological things Thomas Aquinas translation treatise trope utilis variety Vetus latina wisdom word