Scripta minora 3

Olle Ferm and Bridget Morris (eds), Master Golyas and Sweden . The Transformation of a Clerical Satire (1997, 504 s.). 100 SEK.

One of the chief characteristics of the so called goliardic literature is the mockery of public figures, in the clerical as well as the secular spheres. This book examines two anonymous goliardic stories in which sybaritic abbots are the butt of the spirited banter. The first is written in Latin, and dates from the late twelfth century, and the second is in medieval Swedish, and dates from the early fourteenth century. Both stories are produced in critical editions, with parallel English translations. The book also contains essays on clerical satire, humour in the Middle Ages, and obscene and blasphemous art. It is a collaborative venture which crosses national and disciplinary boundaries.