Three Oxford Exemplum Books - (Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies) by Ralph Hanna (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The most ubiquitous medieval instruction was oral and came from the pulpit. Sermons not only addressed basic Christian responsibilities, but also a great deal more. Following contemporary homiletic practice, preachers were expected to illustrate their points, and a variety of tools had been developed to aid them in this rhetorical amplification. Among these, exemplum books, collections of illustrative stories, had a primary place and were particularly effective in addressing lay audiences. As part of a drive for innovative and arresting anecdotes of this type, Oxford preaching materials are particularly renowned for their use of classical materials for this purpose.

This volume, following a lengthy introduction that addresses the cultural importance of exempla, presents editions and translations of three outstanding examples of the genre, all assembled by Oxford mendicants: John of Wales's Breviloquium (1260s), Thomas Waleys's Moralitates in Isaiam (c. 1320), and Robert Holcot's Moralitates (1330s?). While there is a century's worth of discussion of sermon exempla, this volume is the first collection devoted exclusively to insular materials.