Categories of Works


Categories of Works
Manuscript books from the medieval era can be discussed under various categories. However, the more closely we look at them, the more we discover that these categories are not mutually exclusive. History and romance, travel and religious teaching, natural science and Classical tradition are just a few examples of overlap and intertwining. Like the scripts themselves, these are the works of individual human creativity, not a classifying machine. The following groups may give us a framework to work in. The Bible Early Bibles and Gospels Great Big Bibles Little Tiny Bibles Vernacular Bibles New Testament Apocrypha Church Liturgy The Psalter The Missal The Breviary Saints and Martyrs Religious Instruction and Commentary Personal Devotion and Books of Hours Moral Instruction Religious Experience The Classical Legacy Bestiaries Herbals and Medical Texts Compendia of Knowledge Histories, Chronicles and Annals Travel Literature Romance Poetry Drama Music Works on Heraldry Works on Food and Cooking Astronomy and Astrology Works on Gentlemanly Pursuits Works on Science Social Commentary Legal Works No doubt some more will be added before we finish here.

The Content of Books
The Written Word
If you are looking at this page without frames, there is more information about medieval writing to be found by going to the home page (framed) or the site map (no frames). This site is created and maintained by Dr Dianne Tillotson, freelance researcher and compulsive multimedia and web author. Comments are welcome Material on this web site is copyright, but some parts more so than others. Please check here for copyright status and usage before you start making free with it. This page last updated 30/4/2010.