“…You must always keep searching, because you might find something magical, beneath some mouse-eaten cover, while looking for something quite different altogether.”
Page 54
Summary
In this deep-dive into the nature and study of medieval manuscripts, and especially many lesser known ones, Wellesley brings to light how recent research of these texts influenced the literary world, even if they have disappeared from history altogether. Furthermore, she descriptively touches on how these texts were made, distributed, and eventually preserved or lost.
Likes
- The mystery of the texts…Who doesn’t want to find an obscure manuscript that no one knew about or thought was lost to history?
- The uniqueness of the texts. While I expected to read about well-known works from authors like Chaucer, I found that there were many literary figures who I would consider also giants in their craft, though sadly much of their work is not as well-known.
- The era of the texts. Though I consider myself an aficionado when it comes to history, I learned a lot about the medieval era that I didn’t before, such as the religious practices of some nuns and the literary work they produced while in solitude.
Dislikes
- She described one or two texts that contained vulgar material. This was a personal dislike, but her research still remained pristine–I just skimmed that part of the book, since reading about raw vulgarity in a medieval text made me feel uncomfortable.
Author
From what I have researched about the medievalist Mary Wellesley, it sounds like she knows what she’s talking about! She teaches courses pertaining to the period and also is published in many notable journals. In this particular book, I like that the way of her writing seems almost novel-like instead of purely informative.
Recommendation
This book is a very good resource for medieval historians or enthusiasts who would like to broaden their research on the lesser known manuscripts of the period. It is also a good resource for authors who would like more information about the way those of this era created books.
