Preaching In Medieval England: An Introduction To Sermon Manuscripts Of The Period C.1350-1450 (cambridge Library Collection - Medieval History)

First published in 1926, G. R. Owst's Preaching in Medieval England has remained a seminal work on the topic of English sermons of the period 1350-1450. In studying a largely neglected but important aspect of the medieval religious experience, the author adds considerably to our understanding of the pre-Reformation church. The book is in three parts - the preachers, the circumstances of the preaching and reception, and the sermons themselves. In the first section Owst discusses the different classes of preacher, the secular clergy, monks and particularly the wandering friars, famous for their preaching. In the second part he studies the experience of sermons, how, where and when they were delivered, and to whom. The examination of the sermons covers not only their content and language, but also the surviving manuals on preaching and eloquence, and advice to preachers. This wide ranging and scholarly book remains a crucial work on medieval preaching. GENERAL PREFACE......Page 12 AUTHOR'S PREFACE......Page 14 CONTENTS......Page 20 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 22 CHAPTER I "BISHOPS AND CURATES"......Page 24 CHAPTER II MONKS AND FRIARS......Page 71 CHAPTER III "WANDERING STARS"......Page 119 CHAPTER IV "INTER MISSARUM SOLLEMNIA"......Page 167 CHAPTER V "AT THE CROSS" AND "IN PROCESSION"......Page 218 CHAPTER VI THE SERMON LITERATURE AND ITS TYPES......Page 245 CHAPTER VII MANUALS AND TREATISES......Page 302 CHAPTER VIII SERMON-MAKING, OR THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SACRED ELOQUENCE......Page 332 APPENDICES......Page 378 INDEX......Page 386 Cambridge University Press GENERAL PREFACE 12 AUTHOR'S PREFACE 14 CONTENTS 20 ILLUSTRATIONS 22 PART ONE THE PREACHERS 24 CHAPTER I "BISHOPS AND CURATES" 24 CHAPTER II MONKS AND FRIARS 71 CHAPTER III "WANDERING STARS" 119 PART TWO THE PREACHING SCENE 167 CHAPTER IV "INTER MISSARUM SOLLEMNIA" 167 CHAPTER V "AT THE CROSS" AND "IN PROCESSION" 218 PART THREE THE SERMONS 245 CHAPTER VI THE SERMON LITERATURE AND ITS TYPES 245 CHAPTER VII MANUALS AND TREATISES 302 CHAPTER VIII SERMON-MAKING, OR THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SACRED ELOQUENCE 332 APPENDICES 378 INDEX 386 9781108010078 This 1926 work examines a neglected subject in studies of both the medieval church and literature. G. R. Owst discusses the role of sermons in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century England from the perspective of both preacher and different categories of audience. He also discusses the growing use of vernacular languages.