Anonymous, Gesta Romanorum

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1300

Places

Europe (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Anthology/ Collection
Morality
Story Collection

Resources

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There are some truly crucial literary texts in the Middle Ages that served as metaphorical hubs, receiving their own sources from many different directions, and then becoming the launching pads for many translations, adaptations, or imitations. This is also the case with the anonymous

Gesta Romanorum

, a huge compilation of entertaining tales with a strong religious intention, as the moralizations, applications, or epimythia, indicate, which always follow the actual narratives. In most cases, the author (or authors) intended to relate the events and figures contained in the individual stories to a biblical or spiritual reading of the world, connecting the characters presented there with God, Christ, the ordinary people, i.e., the sinners, the Church, virtues, or vices.

As the title

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2314 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Gesta Romanorum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 September 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40636, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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