From the Middle Ages onwards, writers, artists and composers became self-consciously aware of the vast potential for external references to enrich their works. By evoking canonical texts and their producers from the distant or more recent past, authors demonstrated their respect for tradition while showcasing their own merits. In so doing they also manipulated the memory of their readers.
The essays in this second volume cover a range of topics relevant to medieval Europe and embrace sacred and secular music, historiography, liturgical and biblical studies, sermons and preaching, the architecture of funerary chapels and the role of tombs in literature. As such, each essay explores the themes of the book’s title using a particular body of works from the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance. The book as a whole offers a rich cross-disciplinary discussion of the material in question, with the authors engaging fruitfully with each other’s approaches. The strong line-up includes scholars from the UK, the USA and continental Europe.
