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Most scholars working on the concept of transculturality consider it a modern phenomenon, but we can discover forms of transculturality already in the Middle Ages, and this in terms of political, scholarly, artistic, medical and literary exchanges. Within the framework of Mediterranean Studies, this article examines the extraordinary case of Rudolf von Ems’ Der guote Gêrhart(ca. 1220–1225) which illustrates how much the Mediterranean world proved to be a highly useful backdrop for the description of transcultural exchanges between the protagonist and a Moroccan castellan, Stranmûr. The verse narrative is based on the experiences of a wealthy Cologne merchant who proves to be extraordinarily open to other cultures, languages and religions and encounters an equally minded Muslim lord. We would not be far off by describing the poet’s projections as a case of medieval tolerance.

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When Peter Abelard developed the principal ideas of dialectics, he did not only redirect the theological and philosophical discourse in a most critical fashion, but also provided a fundamental basis for much of the subsequent culture of courtly love. This finds powerful confirmation both in Andreas Capellanus’s De amore and in the collection of Latin and Middle High German poems contained in the Carmina Burana. But Abelard appears to have had the most important impact of his own thinking on the relationship with his beloved mistress, later wife, Heloise. In light of the Abelardian dialectics, the old question regarding the authenticity of the correspondence between these two people can be laid to rest as moot. What matters most proves to be that the letters reflect on two critically opposed positions vis-à-vis courtly love and illustrate how love can or must be viewed through the lens of dialectics.

By analyzing two, heretofore rather neglected thirteenth-century literary texts, Mai und Beaflorund Diu Klage, some of the central theses developed by recent scholarship on rituals can be examined more closely, leading to important corrections. Both texts demonstrate that the ritual, presented in public as a performance, is not simply limited to this public act by itself; instead, the performative ritual allows the protagonists to externalize their almost suicidal emotions and to deal with them communicatively. By presenting their mourning and suffering to their friends and relatives, even to the entire society, through a physical performance, they manage to cope with their experience of pain and to compensate them constructively. This teaches us that neither rituals nor emotions can be regarded separately and that they are always complementary in their social functions. Otherwise the public display of specific rituals would collapse and would expose itself as nothing but a treacherous strategy.

The emergence of the modern world, or, the ultimate paradigm shift in natural sciences, occurred considerably earlier than commonly assumed. Already in the sixteenth century several German authors indicated the extent to which numerous scientific discoveries had had an impact on the general mentality. The anonymous authors of the prose novels Historia D. Johann Faustenand Wagnerbuchproject stunning images of their protagonists' efforts to gain access to new knowledge and of how they desperately resort, because of their painfully felt human limitations, to necromancy. Although their pacts with the devil are regularly portrayed as extremely condemnable, the narratives themselves reveal an extraordinary fascination with transgressions against traditional knowledge. Both novels thinly mask the true attraction exerted by new scientific knowledge and geographical explorations.

Research on modern medievalism has recognized that nineteenth- and twentieth-century authors and artists often resorted to medieval themes and topics for political purposes concerning their own times. Analysis of Hans Sachs's play Der huernen Sewfrid (1557) demonstrates how much this Nuremberg poet also relied on a medieval work for contemporary social criticisms, cloaking them in a tragedy predicated on the famous medieval heroic epic Nibelungenlied to subvert public censorship. This makes Sachs an early forerunner of modern medievalism, insofar as his tragedy indicates the extent to which medieval literary Stoffe were readily available for him to address political and social issues of his own times.

Contrary to the traditional paradigm originally established by Philippe Ariès (L’Enfant et la vie familiale sous l’ancien régime, 1960), medieval authors often focused their attention on children and the parent-child relationship which was more often than not characterized by strong emotions. With the notable exception of James A. Schultz (The Knowledge of Childhood, 1995), however, the history of emotions concerning children, as it found its perhaps best expression in literary texts, has so far not been studied adequately. Depending on the text selection, we can find surprisingly intensive and emotional relationships between parents and children, or, respectively, little regard for the young sons and daughters. The examples of the anonymous Mai und Beaflor, the anonymous Prosalancelot, Konrad von Fußesbrunnen Die Kindheit Jesu, and Konrad von Würzburg’s Heinrich von Kemptendemonstrate that those children who figure prominently as victims or actors enjoy great respect and are treated as what they are: as children. The thirteenth-century authors consistently portray them as lovable, innocent, vulnerable, and in great need of protection. They act as all children would act, and they are loved by their parents with great passion. These findings can also be extended to some earlier (Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Titurel) and later texts (Johann von Würzburg’s Wilhelm von Österreich). Moreover, the data gained from these Middle High German examples can also be confirmed through other medieval French and English texts. In light of this literary-social analysis, several conclusions can be drawn: the medieval history of emotions can be well identified and analysed through literary sources; love for children was a phenomenon that emerges in many medieval cultures, hence Ariès’ old thesis can finally be laid to rest.

The example of Thüring of Ringoltingen's Melusinepowerfully illustrates the dialectics of the binary opposition between Other and Self. Although Melusine's husband fears his monstrous wife once he has discovered her true identity, he also feels deeply attracted to her, both in her familiar and her unfamiliar appearance. Nevertheless, his intellectual and emotional weakness makes it impossible for him to accept the Other as an important element in his life, which leads to the destruction of his marriage. As various other sixteenth-century chapbooks, such as the Historia D. Faustenand Wagnerbuch, indicate, the Other grew in importance, and by then represented a crucial catalyst for early modern sciences.

In recent scholarship the intensive sixteenth-century marriage discourse has gained new interest, but almost all investigations have focused on marriage tracts, marriage sermons, and some prose novels (Volksbücher). Hans Sachs, famous for his prolific output, also made important contributions to this marriage discourse. The analysis of a number of his plays and poems indicate that Sachs was keenly aware of the problematic relationship between husband and wife and tried to develop strategies for both with which violence could be avoided and a peaceful, harmonious relationship be achieved. Remarkably, Sachs realized that women were often the victim of 'domestic violence' and deserved much better treatment by their husbands, but he was, despite his best intentions, not able to jump over his own shadow and to project alternative gender relationships. In this sense, Sachs's poetic statements prove to be symptomatic for his time and demonstrate a remarkable sensitivity with respect to the endemic problems of marriage.

Abstract:In Luise Rinser's novel Abelard's Love(1991) we are confronted with a remarkable but very little known literary treatment of the love affair between the famous twelfth-century philosopher Abelard and his wife Heloise, seen from the perspective of their son, Astrolabe. Whereas recent research has paid much attention to this extraordinary couple because of their love poetry, their noteworthy correspondence, and their highly intellectual contributions, practically nothing is known about their son. In Rinser's novel, Astrolabe intensively struggles to get to know his distant parents and to understand their love for each other in light of their extremely difficult conditions as university teacher and, respectively, abbess. Astrolabe's almost desperate attempts to get close to his parents dramatically reveal the author's own approach to love in a world surrounded by hostility. Contrary to general concepts about Abelard's alleged mistreatment of his mother, the young man realizes the tragic but fundamental love between his parents. As the analysis of Rinser's novel reveals, even when words fail to address love appropriately, its lifelong force continues to exert its influence.

When a literary work proves to be open to ever new (valid) interpretations, we can be certain that it represents a truly great piece of literature. This is the case with the Nibelungenliedwhich is here viewed in light of modern sociological theory regarding communication and communicative action as defined by Jürgen Habermas, Richard Rorty, and Karl-Otto Apel, among others. Certainly, this epic poem is characterized by its heroic features, as battles, slaughter, destiny, and fate dominate all events. Nevertheless, a close reading of relevant passages also demonstrates that some of the protagonists are seriously concerned about the role of human language and its function within society. The theory of communicative action proves to be surprisingly applicable for the critical examination of the Nibelungenliedand also for the subsequent Diu Klagein which the Armageddon which has befallen the Burgundian heroes, is profoundly mourned. Whereas the former poem illustrates the tragedy when human language is misused, or simply disregarded as an essential vehicle for the communicative community, the latter outlines avenues out of the calamity especially by way of language and a return to this lost community.

Musicologists and theologians have often paid close attention to the genre of the church song book which was basically created by Martin Luther, but soon found many imitators and developed into a genre on its own. Surprisingly, however, literary scholars have mostly ignored the church song books, although they contain highly valuable collections of sixteenth-century church songs, important prologues and epilogues, and other text types. The present article offers a broad overview of the genre, discusses major contributors, and also demonstrates that a significant number of religious women were also involved in composing church songs and in editing church song books. In fact, the analysis of this genre demonstrates that in the history of sixteenth-century German literature women were well represented and utilized the church song as a medium to find their own literary voice.

Abstract:The relevance of Medieval Studies has never been more acknowledged and simultaneously criticized as in the current time. Whereas Medievalists are struggling to maintain their position within academia, some Modernists go so far as to septicly separate their field from anything written prior to 1800 or so. Both the very traditional philological approach to medieval literature and its radical rejection prove to be foolish, as literature has always represented the inter-relatedness of cultural periods. Past voices have always had an impact on the future, and modern concepts increasingly prove to be highly productive in analyzing medieval texts. The novels of five twentieth-century German writers (Musil, Mann, Hesse, Grass, and Muschg) demonstrate that medieval and Baroque literature had a considerable impact on their thinking, and in this sense the past proves to be the text which was inscribed on the readers of the future. In fact, modern literature, whether German, English, French, or Russian, cannot be fully grasped if we ignore the powerful influence of past authors on the writers from today.

In den Mæren Heinrich Kaufringers macht sich auffallend häufig das Phänomen der physischen Gewalt bemerkbar, die vor allem die eheliche Gemeinschaft gefährdet oder sogar zerstört. Kaufringer verurteilt zwar nicht von vornherein die Anwendung von Gewalt, vor allem wenn sie zur Strafe von Verbrechen oder ethischen Normbrüchen eingesetzt wird. Er warnt aber vor dem unkontrollierten, hemmungslosen Einsatz von Gewalt, die letztlich katastrophal destruktive Folgen haben kann. Vor dieser narrativen Schablone ergeben sich eine Reihe von bedenkenswerten Einsichten in die Sozial- und Mentalitätsgeschichte im deutschen Städteleben, wo Kaufringers Maeren primär rezipiert wurden. Die Analyse wird darlegen, wie sehr diese Versnovellen Aussagen darüber vermitteln, wie das öffentliche Problem der Gewalt aus literarischer Sicht beurteilt und welche öffentlichen und privaten Verhaltensweisen dem Leser/Zuhörer nahegelegt wurden. Zum Vergleich kommt am Ende auch Heinrich Wittenwilers Ringzur Sprache, wo sich das gleiche Phänomen konstatieren läßt.