The Making of Manners and Morals in Twelfth-Century England: The Book of the Civilised Man

Description

How different are we from those in the past? Or, how different do we think we are from those in the past? Medieval people were more dirty and unhygienic than us – as novels, TV, and film would have us believe – but how much truth is there in this notion? This book seeks to challenge some of these preconceptions by examining medieval society through rules of conduct, and specifically through the lens of a medieval Latin text entitled "The Book of the Civilised Man" – or "Urbanus magnus" – which is attributed to Daniel of Beccles. "Urbanus magnus" is a twelfth-century poem of almost 3,000 lines which comprehensively surveys the day-to-day life of medieval society, including issues such as moral behaviour, friendship, marriage, hospitality, table manners, and diet. Currently, it is a neglected source for the social and cultural history of daily life in medieval England, but by incorporating modern ideas of disgust and taboo, and merging anthropology, sociology, and archaeology with history, this book aims to bring it to the fore, and to show that medieval people did have standards of behaviour. Although they may seem remote to modern 'civilised' people, there is both continuity and change in human behaviour throughout the centuries. List of illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Manuscript sigla xiii Introduction xv 1. The background to 'Urbanus magnus' 1 Content 1 Introduction to the manuscripts 8 Composition 12 Authorship 16 2. Genre and 'Urbanus magnus' 25 Scholarship on 'Urbanus magnus' 25 The genre of courtesy literature 28 The origins of courtesy literature 33 Other sources 41 3. The manuscript evidence 53 Twelfth-century satire 53 An educational tool 57 Religious use 61 A medical text 66 4. Introduction to themes 71 5. The medieval household and beyond 78 Administering the household 79 Householder, home, and hospitality 79 Children and wives 86 Staff and servants 90 Outside the household 94 Social mobility and appropriate courtesy 98 6. The medieval body in 'Urbanus magnus' 113 Bodily moderation and restraint 115 Speech and laughter 120 Bodily vices 125 The body and sex 127 Bodily emissions 131 Disgust 135 7. Medieval dining and diet 151 The archaeological evidence 152 The medieval meal 158 Preparation and consumption 158 Manners 164 Continuity and change 169 Diet and health 172 8. New interpretations 182 The impetus for and precursors to 'Urbanus magnus' 182 Origins 185 Social habitus 185 The court of Henry II 189 'A monument to anxiety' 193 Use 196 The impact of 'Urbanus magnus' 197 9. Conclusion 204 Appendix: 'Contenances de table' poems 206 Bibliography 210 Index 223