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| Home > History of Literature > Latin literature > Types of Writing
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| | Types of Latin Writing during Medieval Period
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In the middle ages catholic clerics were the centre of society and their literature was published in the greatest quantity. Many hymns survive from this age. Religious scholars like Ausolin of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas and Pierre Abelara wrote lengthy theology and philosophy treatises. They aimed to merge the ideas of the Greek and Roman pagan authors with that of the church. Hagiographics or `Lives of Saints` were meant to encourage the devout.
The Golden legend by Jacorus de Voragine reached the peak of popularity and was more widely read than ever the Bible. Francis of Assisi was a poet in his own right and his followers often wrote poems to express their devotion. The other two famous Latin poems on the subject are `Dies Irae` and `Statort Mater`. However the mystery plays which grew out of simple tableaux re-enactments of a simple Biblical scene were controlled by the local guilds and were regularly performed on feast days.
Secular literature was not as popular as religious literature was but whatever little has survived is rich in corpus. The theme of these works was mainly `Courtly Love` especially in Greek and Romance language for e.g French, Spanish and Catalan. The travelling troubaors often sang of unrequited love and made their living from it. Political poetry was also composed during this eriod and the secular writers were written in Goliandic form. Travel literature was also popular and the accounts were often fictitious of inspired people to seek beyond familiar pastures.
Women in the medieval ages wrote religious literature dealing with experiences f the nuns like Clare of Assisi, Bridget of Sweden and Catherine of Sienna. On the secular front women like Marie de France and Christine de Pizan continue to be of interest for their reflections on country, love and society.
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