The Renaissance Of The Twelfth Century - 1619 Words

The renaissance of the twelfth century was a revival of cultural and intellectual activity from 1050 to 1250. Guibert of Nogent’s autobiography, A Monk’s Confession: The Memoirs of Guibert of Nogent, and the prologue of Peter Abelard’s Sic et Non (â€Å"Yes and No†) are both products of this time period, having been written in 1115 and 1122, respectively. While Abelard’s text primarily focuses on applying reason to religious matters—a very renaissance thing to do—Guibert sheds light on a greater variety of affairs. Both documents indicate the strong faith that one would expect to find in people during this era of religious enthusiasm. Together, the documents paint an informative picture of the intellectual activity and culture of their times. Guibert of Nogent was a French monk, who had been born in 1055 and died circa 1125. There had been complications during his birth, which made his family fear for both his life and his mother†™s. Desperate, his family rushed to their chapel where they, vowed to the Virgin Mary that, as Guibert puts it, â€Å"if the child were male, it would be consecrated a cleric in God’s service and hers.† Naturally, this vow dictated much of Guibert’s life and molded him into a genuinely religious man. Guibert wrote his autobiography at the monastery of Nogent in 1115, when he was sixty years old, under the title of Monodiae, meaning â€Å"Solitary Songs.† The autobiography genre was practically nonexistent at this time, so Guibert modeled his text after the mostShow MoreRelatedThe Existence Of A Renaissance1404 Words   |  6 Pages Renaissance: a word familiar to many and typically associated with the flourishing renewal of ancient Greek and Roman ideas in sixteenth century European culture. The question is, could that be the only renaissance? Many changes also occurred in twelfth century European intellectual and cultural life that could signify a r enaissance. 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The fiefs, or estates, could be rented out to one vassal who would then rent portions of theRead MoreEssay on Literature and the Middle Ages2351 Words   |  10 PagesLiterature and the Middle Ages The Renaissance invented the Middle Ages in order to define itself; the Enlightenment perpetuated them in order to admire itself; and the Romantics revived them in order to escape from themselves. In their widest ramifications the Middle Ages thus constitute one of the most prevalent cultural myths of the modern world. -- Brian Stock, Listening for the Text. The Middle Ages is a time of hypothesis wherein one of the most hypothetical concepts is