The Medieval Gift and the Classical Tradition Ideals and the Performance of Generosity in Medieval England, 1100–1300
Book contents
- The Medieval Gift and the Classical Tradition
- Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought Fourth Series
- The Medieval Gift and the Classical Tradition
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 The Gift in Classical Literature
- Chapter 3 De Beneficiis in Medieval Contexts
- Chapter 4 Writing Generosity
- Chapter 5 Sanctifying Generosity
- Chapter 6 Romancing Generosity
- Chapter 7 Performing Generosity
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 2 - The Gift in Classical Literature
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 August 2019
Book contents
- The Medieval Gift and the Classical Tradition
- Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought Fourth Series
- The Medieval Gift and the Classical Tradition
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 The Gift in Classical Literature
- Chapter 3 De Beneficiis in Medieval Contexts
- Chapter 4 Writing Generosity
- Chapter 5 Sanctifying Generosity
- Chapter 6 Romancing Generosity
- Chapter 7 Performing Generosity
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores the idea of the gift found in the classical writers and philosophers most widely read in central medieval Europe. It explores the explicit philosophical and moral treatments of generosity found in Seneca’s De beneficiis and Cicero’s De officiis, as well as the role played by gifts in literature, from Virgil’s Aeneid to the poems of Ovid. The chapter concludes by looking at how classical ideas about generosity were taken up by early Christian writers.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Medieval Gift and the Classical TraditionIdeals and the Performance of Generosity in Medieval England, 1100–1300, pp. 14 - 41Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019