Guibert of Nogent : Portrait of a Medieval Mind

This is a well written and valuable study of the life of a familiar but still somehow shadowy figure and an important contribution to medieval intellectual history, with insights into the meaning of the twelfth-century renaissance, the monastic mindset, the invention of psychological thought, the birth of the university, and the historiography of the Crusades. "The twelfth-century monk Guibert of Nogent has provided much of what we know about life in Europe during the High Middle Ages. His Monodies - the first Western autobiography after Augustine's Confessions - along with his chronicle of the first Crusade and his critique of relics offer invaluable observations of the intellectual and social life at an especially dynamic moment in European history.". "Guibert of Nogent: Portrait of a Medieval Mind is the first biographical study of this critical eyewitness in nearly a century. Drawing upon close examination of Guibert's voluminous work, Jay Rubenstein argues that Guibert was not a neurotic, as previously assumed, but instead a sophisticated psychological theorist who transformed hagiography, biography, theology, and history. He left to posterity not only the fascinating testimony of his mind and imagination but also a lively portrayal of the real events that gave shape to his memories. This is a persuasive and uniquely engaging study of the life of a familiar but still somehow shadowy figure and an important contribution to medieval intellectual history, with insights into the meaning of the twelfth-century renaissance, the monastic mentality, the invention of psychological thought, the birth of the university, and the historiography of the Crusades."--BOOK JACKET. Guibert is revealed as one of Europe's most sophisticated early psychological thinkers who led the way in transforming hagiography, biography, historiography and theology. This chapter will pass over much of what we think we know of young Guibert and put in its place many points whose existence we did not suspect.