Jul

25

I See London, I See France.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

July 25, 2007 |

Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind, but out of what began?
A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder’s gone,
I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.

–W.B. Yeats, “The Circus Animal’s Desertion

As Axel Muller, director of the International Medieval Congress, which held its annual gathering this year at the University Of Leeds from July 9th through the 12th, commented, “Many of the successes and problems we encounter in modern society have their counterparts in the medieval world, and we believe that studying that world can cast a light on many present-day dilemmas: how to treat the elderly and the sick, how to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour, surviving in dysfunctional families, living harmoniously with people of different cultures and religions, even coping with unconventional looks. Where the human condition is concerned, nothing really changes!”

Perhaps that’s best illustrated by books which were surprisingly popular and in demand even before the invention of the printing press. And, even more surprising, it was underwear which allowed for the creation and wider distribution of more books. Paper made from discarded clothing, especially underwear, was cheaper and easier to make than parchment, so even in the 13th Century when books were still produced by hand they could be made more cheaply than in previous years. This was thanks mainly to an increase in urbanization, although even in places like Iceland which didn’t have large urban areas people learned to read at home, mainly from their mothers.

Most popular was The Bible, of course, but also popular were works of history, such as the writings of Valerius Maximus, which still survives in around 400 copies, and is still available to this day in modern translations, such as Memorable Deeds and Sayings: A Thousand Tales from Ancient Rome, translated by Henry John Walker. Also popular was Geoffrey Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, also available in a contemporary translation by Lewis Thorpe.

After the destruction of the monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th Century literacy fell into decline, but, true to Dr. Muller’s statement, nothing really changes. Discarded or out-of-date books were recycled into new books, kites, and even covers for jars. So recycling isn’t a modern phenomenon either, which is fitting. The 2008 International Medieval Congress will focus on the natural world, demonstrating that environmentalism isn’t as new as we might think.


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