Aspects of Knowledge: Manchester Medieval Literature and Culture

This innovative volume sets out to explore the ways in which knowledge was preserved and reinvented in the Middle Ages. Eschewing traditional categories of periodisation and discipline, it works to establish connections and cross-sections between different departments of knowledge, from the history of science to theology and music.

The book is divided into four parts, which provide the reader with a thematic framework for approaching aspects of knowledge. Part I (Anthologies of knowledge) considers the transmission of learning in collections of texts that not only preserve existing knowledge but also develop and add to it. Part II (Transmission of Christian traditions) examines how aspects of Christian tradition are constructed and then appropriated and used over time. Part III (Past and present) illustrates how the past interacts with the culture and politics of the period to fit the needs of contemporary writers and audiences. Part IV (Knowledge and materiality) explores ways in which material objects were instrumental in the preservation and circulation of knowledge.

Ranging from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries, and covering such fascinating subjects as dream divination, the mapping of Jerusalem and the adaptation of Beowulf for a Christian audience, Aspects of knowledge aims to highlight suggestive strands of a very wide topic. Itis intended for an academic readership, including advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as specialists in medieval literature, philosophy, theology, geography and material culture.