Introduction
Historical and Geographical Considerations
Social Structure
Literary History
Philosophical and Religious Thought
Mystical Literature
Jewish History and Literature
The End of the Middle Ages
Conclusion
Suggested Reading
Introduction
The European Middle Ages, despite its foreignness (alterity) and chronological distance from us today, exert tremendous fascination on people in the modern and postmodern world. In fact, the medieval world seems to be more alive and important for us today than ever before. There are movies with medieval themes (Crusades, Excalibur, Courtly Love, the Nibelungen), movies focusing especially on the characters King Arthur, Robin Hood, Tristan, Saladin, Gawain, Merlin, and Joan of Arc; movie parodies such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail [1975]); furthermore, novels inspired by or situated in...
8868 words
Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Middle Ages". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 December 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1354, accessed 13 December 2025.]
