The Middle Ages Reconsidered

Held in low esteem since the Renaissance, scorned by Englightenment authors as incompatible with the theory of progress, the Middle Ages found a place in other French literature of the eighteenth century with its increasing taste for sentimentality and need for moral edification. A metaphor for the "Ancien Regime" following the Revolution, the medieval period gained perception as "le bon vieux temps." As -national- became increasingly synonymous with -medieval- and backlash against the Church led to a new religiosity, Romantic writers greatly exploited a subjective ideal they sought in the Middle Ages. This fascinating study thoroughly explores the reception of the Middle Ages in French literature during these periods."