The Portable Medieval Reader

by James Bruce Ross (Editor), Mary Martin McLaughlin (Editor)

The world of the Middle Ages brought to life through a rich variety of writings from four centuries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Anthologies, Medieval History, Literature, Classics

690 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1949

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

On one level, nothing beats this: going straight to the source, reading what the ancients had to say about their lives, their world, their thoughts. Bernard of Gui describing the Inquisition, not as someone trying to justify it to posterity but simply as a leader of that movement describing what it was he did; or Roger Bacon laying out the principles of what we would come to call the scientific method--while at the same time expressing his own deep faith, and his certainty that this method he was explaining was a most excellent way to draw closer to God. It's true what they say, that the seeds of the modern world were sown in the medieval period, and this book brings that home forcefully and clearly.

I really only have one quibble: the only context for the many excerpts comes from a long essay at the beginning by the editors, but with a book this big (nearly 700 pages), it isn't long before you've forgotten most of what was in the introduction. I suppose I could have kept leafing back to the intro, but I kept thinking how nice it would have been to have a few lines before each piece, describing who wrote it and what the context was. Instead, I kept finding myself going to Wikipedia to find out more. Which is not the worst thing in the world, as it means I was thoroughly engaged with the book and kept wanting to expand beyond it. Still, I'd have rather had dozens of smaller intros rather than, or in addition to, the one big essay at the front.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The selections in this collection are broad enough that anyone interested in the High Middle Ages will find something to enjoy. However, the scope of the anthology is also a drawback - readers will find passages or entire sections that likely do not interest them. The major weakness of the text though is the lack of introductory or contextual notes for the passages. There are a few pages of general introduction at the beginning of the compilation that explain the authors' editing choices, but the selections themselves feel somewhat random and are floating in the book without context or background. This book could be vastly improved in a subsequent edition with some short introductory notes. As it stands, be prepared to refer to Wikipedia for background information if you aren't already an expert in medieval history and literature.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me say that my choice of 2 stars is more a reflection of my own interest in this book and not necessarily of the book itself. I picked it up from a used bookstore since I was kind of approaching the medieval period from two sides (forward from the ancient world and ever backward from the 17th century). I figured it was time to delve a little deeper. After reading these selections, I can see my interests are elsewhere. However, there were things I learned, including some neat nuggets, and I will keep this volume as a reference for the future.

Of what I liked, there were some that stood out, such as the two pieces on Arnold of Brescia, a precursor to the people who would lead the Reformation (p. 338, 341). I liked reading about the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, a learned man who promoted literature, fought against popes and furthered law and government (p. 362). I enjoyed the selection from the poet Usámah (Usama ibn Munqidh), who wrote of his experiences with the Crusaders (p. 447), although some historians today say his work cannot always be trusted.

It was fun to see that students never change, with some in the 12th century wanting to postpone their studies to play and enjoy life (p. 502). Coluccio Salutati was very cool in his piece on the Defense of Liberal Studies, calling out those religious conservatives who would forbid the reading of Virgil and other “heathen” poets (p. 613). Finally, Leonardo Bruni’s “In Praise of Greek” (p. 618) resonates with me and is still valid today. So much of our logic, philosophy and great poetry came from Greek, so he writes that it is worthwhile to study the language to engage with the texts in their original voice.

[Katy M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-an anthology

This had a lot of interesting information and was a good way to look at a past time period. But, it's not exactly light reading, and honestly, if I had to take a test on the contents of this book right now, I'd probably fail. I had a hard time paying attention. Interestingly, there was a section in there about reading and learning and it said there's no point if you're not going to understand and retain. So, this book may have been a waste of my time, but I did remember that, so there's that.

[Jack McDowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most interesting books I've read. A collection of primary source excerpts from the Middle Ages. From tales of the peasants to the Nobility and Clergy to descriptions of peoples from distant lands this book does a great job of placing you into a Medieval mind bringing life to their world from their own mouths. My only real knock is that the book does not have any footnotes other than where a particular source is coming from. A little extra background information into the certain people or places would go a long way

[Kajah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This eclectic collection of text from the medieval times is at turns fascinating, funny, horrible, and illuminating. "Notes upon first encountering some Turks" (or something like that tittle) accounts a skirmish of Franks with certain Saracens and their combination of disdain and admiration, and complementary to this is the "Upon First Encounters with a Frank" by an Islamic author: both of these excerpts are fun, personal enlightening sketches of what one of the most important historical confrontations in western history might have been like at an individual level. I will definitely be reading and rereading this compilation for a long time to come.

[Connie Santell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in a while, I need to challenge my brain on something a little stronger than "pulp fiction". This book did exactly that!!
I've always been interested in the Medival period and this gave me great information that previously I did not know. It was also interesting to read the poetry of the time!!
Being 690 pages long, this book took me longer to read than most, but I still enjoyed it.

[Augustus · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a widespread belief that the Middle Ages in Europe were a time dominated by ignorance and superstition. This book is a tonic to correct that mis-impression. In its almost 700 pages, the author collects more than 140 excerpts from a wide variety of sources, ranging from the late 11th Century to the 15th Century. The excerpts are well chosen and clearly translated into modern English. Taken together, they present a panoramic introduction to life, politics, art, poetry and religion in the High Middle Ages.

Some narratives cover historic events like battles or coronations. Many paint pictures of everyday life. Some explore theological and philosophical questions. Several essays review the Crusades from varying perspectives, while others tell of the earliest European visitors to China during the Yuan Dynasty. In the 13th Century, Robert de Sorbonne advises college students to avoid making so much noise in their dormitory rooms as to disturb students in neighboring rooms. Leonardo da Vinci contends that artists will produce little of merit if they use the works of others as their standard; instead they should study nature directly as the inspiration for their work. Thomas Aquinas concludes that human minds have a natural desire to understand the "first cause" of all things, and they will only find it when they encounter God. Authors include famous names like Peter Abelard, Thomas Becket, Geoffrey Chaucer, and St. Francis of Assisi, but there are also many less known authors writing on a range of topics.

As to the purported ignorance of the Middle Ages, multiple authors explain that Aristotle had already been re-discovered well before the Renaissance. England's Roger Bacon was already writing in the 13th Century that experimental science is the most reliable path to knowledge and fully consistent with Christian faith.

The book was presumably developed as a college textbook, but it offers a considerable variety of information for a general reader as well.

[Patrick Steadman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost totally devoid of annotation, which is important for such ancient content. For example, I was startled by a casual mention of Josephine, the female pope, in the context of an ostensible post-conclave confirmation of papal testicles. I had to Google Josephine to learn that her papacy was a hoax: a sort of urban legend that most medieval people believed. I feel like this this sort of thing should be footnoted. Otherwise, feels like a good selection, and has a nice introductory essay.

[Lou]

includes classics such as: the rules of courtly love, an attempt to enforce clerical celibacy, advice to a Norwegian merchant, a greek view of the crusaders, the crusader's criticism of the greeks, an arab opinion on the crusaders, and the character and customs of the irish, where they are made out to be a most filthy race, a race more ignorant than all other nations of the first principles of the faith, who wear their hair long and let their women ride astride on horseback(!)

[K. P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my first book companions in cafes on hot days as a teenager, before the shackle of technology ensnared us.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wildly varied collection of writings from the Middle Ages: history, philosophy, household hints, poetry, travel writing, "science," etc. The selections range from the fascinating to the boring to the exasperating; I devoured some and skimmed others. But I certainly understand the Medieval period better now. For example, I certainly was not aware, but should have been, I suppose, of the extent that life and politics, not just theology, revolved around the Catholic church.

The recipe for "eels reversed" is not to be missed, nor are "The Rules of Courtly Love" ("XX. A man in love is always apprehensive"). The juxtaposition of writings about the Crusades by crusaders, Arabs, and Greeks is amusing: each group thought the others stupid and barbaric.

The philosophical writings dissolve quickly, for the most part, into Biblical platitudes. I was excited to start reading Roger Bacon's "On Experimental Science," thinking that it would be a breath of fresh air among the philosophical and pseudo-scientific pieces here. But it was one of the most maddening selections of all; we learn that "...it is certain that wise men of Aethiopia have come to Italy, Spain, France, England, and those lands of the Christians in which there are good flying dragons, and by the secret art they possess lure the dragons from their caverns." Oh, well - I guess you've got to crawl before you learn to walk.

This is an interesting and enlightening collection. Just don't feel that you have to read every word.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a selection of excerpts from various original documents on just about every aspect of European medieval life, although most of the excerpts concern England, Italy or France and a bit of Germany and the Holy Land.
The selections were of uneven interest to me personally, but all held at least some attraction and after finishing all 690 pages of the Penguin edition I read, I had a much clearer understanding of the world as it was some 40 generations ago. As the lucid and informative Introduction quotes Walter Map as saying, "They make their own past present in our times."
There are some poetry selections, and this stanza from "When Diana Lighteth" (author not specified), gave me a sense of what it was like to be alive in the 12th Century:

Sleep through the wearied brain
Breathes its soft wind
From fields of ripening grain,
The sound
Of running water over clearest sand,
A mill wheel turning, turning slowly round,
These steal the light
From eyes weary of sight.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great broad introduction to the way people lived and thought during the Middle Ages in a collection of writings and excerpts by the people who lived during this time. Most enjoyable was reading about the barbarous Irish and then reading a couple different views on crusaders by a Greek and and Arab. A little bit of everything here.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of quotable quotes from the era of Chivalry, a little before and a wee bit after as well. Looking for Guido Cavalcanti? He's here. How about Lambert of Hersfeld? Look no further!

[Cate Neuhauser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the sources were amazing, others were boring and unneeded