This is by no means a comprehensive list of period literature that is available in modern translations, but is a good start to getting into some of the literature our personas might have read or heard performed.
Many of the earlier works were written versions of stories that were told around fires to keep the populace entertained. These stories were often about heroes and events with which the audience might be familiar. These tales taught lessons in courage and loyalty. The later works of literature were written for people to read themselves as literacy increased among the nobles and upper middle classes. The lessons included in them were aimed at proper courtly behavior for gentlemen and ladies.
Both the early and the later writings are invaluable sources of information on daily life, clothing, armor, living conditions and expected behavior of that particular time. One thing that cannot be forgotten, these works were often translated shortly after they were written so people in other countries could read them as well. Translation of literature is not a modern idea!
If you are interested in more literature from a particular time or place, please let me know and I will try to help you find what your persona would have been reading.
In chronological order (if no author is listed it is because the name of the author is not known):
Beowulf (most of us have read at least sections of this in high school - read it again! There is a new translation of it out by Seamus Heaney that is closer to the original Old English poem, written sometime between the middle of the 7th and end of the 10th C.)
The Battle of Maldon (battle took place in 991, manuscript from early 11th C.)
The Song of Roland (battle took place in 778, story written between 1095 and 1100 - about a battle between Charlemagne's troops and the Saracens, considered to be an idealization of chivalry and valor).
Njal's Saga (events that took place around 1100 in Iceland. Njal is a Icelandic lawyer involved in a family feud. Very interesting descriptions of Icelandic life and the foundations of our modern system of justice.)
The Poem of the Cid (written about 1140 about the brave actions of a Spanish knight trying to prove his loyalty to his King - made famous in a film The Cid. The book is better and the details about facial hair (I'm not joking), clothing, armor and behavior are much more reliable than in the movie.)
The Saga of Eric the Red (about events that took place sometime between 980 - 1030, probably written about 1200 - about the settlement of Greenland and expeditions to the North American coast - about 500 years before Columbus!)
The Lais of Marie de France (a collection of short stories similar to fairy tales. Some are very funny, some are very romantic, some are funny and romantic. Written between 1160 - 1199.)
The Nibelungenlied ("a great German epic of murder and revenge" written about 1200 for performance at an Austrian court somewhere between Passau and Vienna. This is the original story of Siegfried, Brunnhild and Hagen that takes place in this area - one chapter is even called How Siegfried Came to Worms).
La Vita Nuova, by Dante Alighieri (you do not need to read Dante's entire trilogy The Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise to read something written by Dante. This is a collection of love poems and commentary on his love for a lady named Beatrice written about 1290.)
Chronicles, by Jean Froissart (historian and journalist from 1360 - 1410 who wrote about witnessing first-hand battles, noble life, weddings, deaths, meeting with Chaucer. Great descriptions of details including clothing, armor, furnishings and gifts given and received.)
Piers the Ploughman, by William Langland (a satirical comedy about the meaning of man's life and his destiny Filled with details of medieval life written between 1370 - 1390).
The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer (there are more tales than just the ones you read in high school. Read it again for all stories you didn't read and the details about life, clothing and behavior that you missed in school. Written about 1386.)
The Book of the City of Ladies and The Treasure of the City of Ladies, by Christine de Pizan (medieval life from the perspective of a woman. Interesting ideas on what it means to be a lady whether you are a queen, lady-in-waiting, noble or middle-class. She wrote in the early 1400s.)
Le Mort D'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory ("an immortal story of love, adventure, chivalry, treachery and death". THE King Arthur story. Written about 1485.)
Continue to: The Middle Ages: A Concise Encyclopedia
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