Medieval Studies by Anne Middleton

Medieval Studies (Session)

   A Medieval study, according to Anne Middleton is the study of the literature of the middle ages with the help of various critical approaches that began in the post war period. Generally Middle age is othered and taken as “Dark Age” for this reason Medieval study itself is being othered and it is seceded or isolated. Beside this view, Medieval Studies are being overlooked since there are virtually no critical cannon of works of the middle Ages except Chaucer and Langland. In addition the works of Chaucer and Langland focuses on-
(i) Grammar and vocabulary of the language of early English.
(ii) Customs and beliefs of the people of that time.
In regard to the medievalist, their study after all to Medieval literature was not scientific since the critical canons are not subject to critical analysis and judgment. Thus these are the things responsible for the session and othering of the medieval studies.
To sum up it is to be said that Medieval studies is seceded from the field of literary studies; when it is taken as othered and labeled with the word “Dark Age” and the work of canonical writers like Chaucer and Langland are not all scientific.

The Invention of Medieval Studies

   Along with the session of medieval studies, by 1960s it has been designed as a separate institution. The duration from 1945 to 1965 was the invention period of Medieval Studies where the modern approaches like Formalism has been applied to the same work of Chaucer and Langland. This period (1945 to 1965) was also the early post- war period in United States when many European intellectuals migrated to America due to the fear of the holocaust caused by Second World War. Those intellectuals wrote about art in the books and newspapers. As they had very thin belief in god and religion (due to holocaust and destruction in second world war), their works were wholly centered on the interiority of the text . And thus the New Criticism started flourishing. So Medieval Studies is highly influenced by New Criticism. Like in New Criticism, in Medieval Studies too, context is given equally importance as textuality because it was believed that context can never be separated from the text. Hence medieval studies became trans-disciplinary approaches between 1957- 1963.Medieval Studies also suggest a sense of break with the past. This is the effect of high modernism that developed after Second World War. So medieval studies is also highly influenced by high modernism. The chief representational techniques like, conceptual, abstract, non- naturalistic and disjunctive techniques of high modernist art are used in medieval studies. Therefore when Medieval Studies was highly influenced by modernism, literature was taught on the basis of exteriority of the text; but when this study was highly influenced by New Criticism, literature was taught on the basis of interiority of the text. So, Medieval Studies focuses on both interiority and exteriority of the text.

Institutionalization of Medieval Studies

  After the Second World War, changes appeared largely, universities became free and independent, political situation was reformulated and there was re- industrialization. Such situation in the post war period made the institutionalization of Medieval Studies essential. After institutionalization by mid 60s. Medieval Studies became diverse, prosperous and industrious. It also became intellectually impoverished and under- conceptualized. Due to this, Medieval Studies have diminished relation with other cultural areas of literary study and reduced philosophical relevance to literary studies generally. Further more the institutionalization cuts across disciplinary affiliation.

Towards a New Literary History of the Middle Ages

   According to the literary history of the middle Ages, the writing especially of Chaucer and Langland is based on oppositional- oral of written, popular or country, religious or secular etc. So, Anne Middleton’s view is that the literary history of middle Ages is based on power relation. In the middle Ages, the knights and kings were considered to be high- class and powerful groups in the society. So the prime focus of the work of Chaucer and Langland was on the grammar and vocabulary used by such people; and the customs and beliefs of those powerful people of that time. For instance, Chaucer began his Canterbury Tales with the knight’s tale because in his works, the main focus is on the high class people and their customs, and therefore chivalry was the most important human quality. So, the literary history of the Middle Ages based on the power relation, values the courtly art more than popular art. Thus in simple term, the literary history of the Middle Age favoured the powerful only.
As the literary history is power oriented, Middleton puts forward her idea that the new literary history of the middle ages should also be dealt critically. So according to Middleton, the boundary has to be redrawn. After 1950, there was the flood of New Critical terminologies, but the history of the Middle Ages does not seem effected by such terminologies. So now as the boundaries are being redrawn, these terminologies should also be taken in to consideration. And thus, New Literary history should try to give the textual meaning by keeping in mind the antecedences and try to focus on power relation between opposite forces. So, language culture, truth, history, power etc get re-defined in a new historical approach and paved the way for a new literary history for the middle Ages that should be able to refocus on the textuality that reflects the distinctive modes for shaping it.

Returning From the Margins

  Though Medieval Studies were institutionalized by New Criticism in 1960s, its study was exegetical, monolithic or orthodoxical in nature. So the boundary of medieval literature could not be redrawn until deconstruction came in to light and reacted against New Criticism. Since deconstruction came in to light and reacted against New Criticism, the marginalized ideas are once more brought in to the center, which is known as returning from the margins. Returning from the margins means refusing on textualism; which is different from New Criticism and Cultural Studies. Here the focus remains textual but radical contingencies should act as inter- locuter, so the boundary between the text and an individual is blurred. And thus, it brought changes in three different areas in Medieval Studies.

(i) In study of medieval literature: Traditionally, only high and elite culture was given the preference. But today equal importance is given to the popular and low culture as well.
(ii) In study of the medieval religion: Traditionally, religion was studied by following on doctrine. But today religion is studied by focusing on practice.
(iii) In the study of the medieval manuscripts: Traditionally, manuscripts of medieval literature were seen only under one discipline, but now they are being seen in the light of various new theories. With these changes, the Medieval Studies are viewed today in a new dimension so that the medieval literature will also contribute to other disciplinary discourse. Supporting this very idea Middleton now attempts to redraw the boundary of the Medieval Studies applying Cultural Criticism and New Historicism.According to Middleton, the new literary history should try to give the textual meaning by focusing on both forces equally, i.e. powerful and ordinary. Thus the new literary history of the middle ages should try to find the critical engagement like the way courtly art was emphasized more than popular art -the same history should be revisited with the help of the new critical approaches like Cultural Criticism and New Historicism. These approaches should be used to redefine language, culture, truth, history, power etc of the Middle Ages; and thus, the boundary of the Medieval Studies have been redrawn. This is the way we are returning to the center from the margins.