Medieval Man

Something about the medieval world always attracted me, from my geeky D&D days almost twenty-five or more years ago to my stumbling graspings of Thomist philosophy. I’m not sure why. Could be Tolkien read at an early age, combined with Arthurian legends. Could be a riveting fascination with the Crusades when we covered them in my Catholic school. Could be a dissatisfaction with this "modern world" of ours, a world quite condescending and infatuated with itself. Don’t really know.

For some reason, conventional wisdom elevates the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans (deservedly so), then western society and culture troughs into the "dark ages," only to be saved by the upswing of the Renaissance and Enlightenment, leading to our wondrous and glorious age.

Bah. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Two summers ago I read an excellent book about our much-maligned preceding historical age: The Glory of the Medieval World, a 1950 work by the French historian Regine Pernoud. Highly recommended. Triaging some paperwork in my basement office I came across some notes I jotted down skimming through Pernoud’s book. I have a nebulous vision of a potential magnum opus novel, and it will partially be set in this time period. But to get a sense of the times, the zeitgeist, this book is excellent.

Did you know …

In the Middle Ages there was a confidence and joy in living. No sense of fatality or capital-D Destiny as felt in the ancient world. Yet this was also a cautious approach to life. Medieval men and women made use of everything, with moderation. There was no attempt at innovation, only improvement of what already was.

The medieval man was a practical man, filled with practical common sense. Utility was valued; if fact, beauty could not exist for such men without utility. And they had vivid imaginations, a highly developed sense of humor and amusement, natural mischievousness. This complemented perfectly with a love of poetry. Poetry was an essential part of life. The poet was a complete man.

Anything not hallowed by tradition was something of which to be wary. Every existence was concentrated on: home, family, parish, domain, group, guild. Customs and habits strengthened these ties. Yet, pilgrimage played an important role. The medieval man was perpetually on the move. Building and traveling (to refuse shelter to a traveller was considered a grave sin).

Those "dark ages" were a period when men knew better than at any other time how to appreciate simple, wholesome, joyous things. Bread, wine, and gaiety.

And this is "dark," compared to our age, how, exactly?