The Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-40) is widely held as the
single most significant event in England's history of the destruction
and loss of medieval manuscripts. Despite this consensus, the ultimate
impact of the Dissolution - and of medieval manuscript destruction
during the centuries that followed - remains unclear. How did
Reformation-era losses compare to those which preceded the
Reformation, and to those that followed it? How did the losses caused
by sectarian conflicts compare to more quotidian kinds of loss, such
as improper storage or deliberate de-acquisition? Which manuscripts
were targeted, when were they targeted, and how should one account for
the inevitably skewed record? In The Destruction of Medieval
Manuscripts in England, Krista A. Milne asks these questions to better
understand literary taste, behavioural patterns, and the circulation
of knowledge throughout the medieval period. Milne explores methods
drawn from quantitative codicology to explore the most significant
moments of manuscript loss in the history of England. The evidence
suggests that this destruction was much more limited in its targets,
but far more extensive in scope, than is usually acknowledged.
Overwhelmingly, throughout the investigation, the manuscripts most at
risk were those considered too new to qualify as antique but too old
to be au courant. This pattern of destruction, which Milne describes
as the principle of 'age without vintage,' remains apparent in many
different domains today.
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Institutional Collections
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780198920243
Publisert
2025
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic UK
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter