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Significance of Studying the Middle Ages Kisha G. Tracy and Students, Fitchburg State University

Students in ENGL 2200 British Literature I: Beowulf to Milton at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts begin their semesters thinking about the significance of studying the Middle Ages, particularly premodern British literature, but also the field as a whole. They begin by writing candid thoughts on how they feel about studying this subject from the first time enrolling in the class and walking in the door. From that point, over the first two weeks of the course, they engage in activities, readings, discussions, and research into the topic with a specific focus on the (mis)appropriation of the Middle Ages in modern culture, culminating in the writing of Significance Statements. The following charts the progression of their viewpoints in their own words as they engage with the real Middle Ages.

*This study was conducted with IRB approval. All quotations are from students. They have been only lightly edited for grammar and continuity.*

INITIAL THOUGHTS

As of right now, do you believe that studying early British literature is important? Why or why not?

Student responses to this question on the first day of class tend to vary. The vast majority, however, express skepticism that early British literature can have any significance to their lives or studies. This viewpoint is not unique to my students or undergraduates as a whole. Students are the general public, and they reflect the perceptions that persist about the study of the Middle Ages.

British literature, when said aloud, makes me nervous. Off the top of my head I can’t think of how British literature can apply to the tech savvy world that we live in today.
I don’t find studying British literature to be very important. It’s not that I don’t find literature important or British history important, I just don’t see how there can be an entire course strictly for British literature (that is not specifically about Shakespeare). Plus, I find it unimportant to my major. No hard feelings, honestly.
I don’t think it’s important to me because I do not care about studying early British literature.
At this moment I am conflicted, as I want to say yes but also no at the same time. There’s plenty we could learn about our past, especially when it comes to discoveries made back then or with certain artist’s techniques. On the other side, I don’t know how helpful learning this would be for people today, besides showing them and telling them about it.
When I walked into this course I did not believe that studying early British literature was important. I had this initial belief because the course sounded difficult and I didn’t see how this course would contribute to my academic career.
I think these works are less important than modern British or American literature.

Even when the initial reactions are more positive, they tend be be of the general, "knowledge is good" variety.

Studying early British literature is important because it teaches us about a time period that we were not a part of.
I firmly believe in a well-rounded education.
It is important to the people who value additional knowledge and perspective.
I find it important because like any other form of literature it all carries important aspects that are, again, valuable.
I feel it is important to study early British literature because it is important to study and follow all types of literature.

THE INTERVENTION

Activity 1: Significance of Studying the Middle Ages Facebook Group

I created the "Significance of Studying the Middle Ages" Facebook group in order to provide a space for academics, instructors, students, and the general public together to share resources and discuss ideas about why we study the Middle Ages. Since its creation, it has grown to almost 700 members. ENGL 2200 British Literature I students join the group at the beginning of the course. They are asked to read and respond to a minimum of two posts. Often these responses, that tend to begin with "It is interesting..." and "I was surprised..." statements, lead to discussions with other experts in the field from around the world. This exercise is a low-stakes, brief way to start the students thinking about questions and ideas they had not previously considered. Students select the posts that most interest them, and they choose whether to continue any conversations that are initiated in the group.

Activity 2: Medieval or Modern?

Novice students of the Middle Ages often fall back on thinking that the medieval era was “primitive” or “backward,” believing that the modern era has progressed far beyond what they see in premodern artifacts. It is part of a tendency – not just for students, for all of us in general – to see time periods and people in those time periods as “all” one way or another. In order to open up conversations about this topic, I developed an activity for my students that I call “Medieval or Modern?” I collected – with the help of social media – thirty-three quotations, included below, some from modern sources and others from medieval sources. The goal was to find modern quotations, particularly related to gender and ethnicity, that could sound “medieval” and medieval quotations that could sound “modern.” In addition, I included more “traditional” sounding quotations from both periods. I heavily edited the quotations to disguise any obvious clues, but the meanings were all retained. Then I mixed them up randomly and took the citations off of them.

Purpose: This activity will provide the opportunity for us to 1) consider attitudes towards gender, ethnicity, science, religion, etc., during the Middle Ages and on the modern era; 2) reconsider whether our own approaches to the Middle Ages are accurate; and 3) think about the meanings of the words “primitive” and “progress.”

Many of the topics that were quoted during medieval times are the same topics that are talked about in modern times...It took a long time for me to decide sometimes because I wanted to think that some of the things said would not have been said in modern times.
We as a society often like to think we’ve come so far from how things used to be politically and socially. Honestly, the way I see things is when we can sit here and actually have problems separating quotes that are from today and quotes that are from medieval times we still have a lot of problems to work on as a society.
It is interesting to see that the medieval people hold women and other religions to a higher standard than today's politicians. It surprised me that we chose medieval for every Mr. Rogers quote. Such a wholesome man. It is terrifying that we have not progressed very far clearly, and perhaps an argument can be made that we regressed.
We [were] both very surprised to see how some of the most outrageous comments and quotes that were made were said by modern day important public figures...I am interested to see where some of these quotes originate from and the context behind them.
The modern quotes on rape were the quotes that we assumed to be medieval and ended up being modern and to that point is...why we study medieval literature because what we assume to be medieval can be modern and the other way around.
I wasn't surprised that a lot of offensive posts were modern; however, I was surprised how many politicians are the root of modern quotes that do not feel very modern.
Some of the modern quotes really surprised me. The one's that most surprised me were dealing with women and rape. I just felt as if those views were very outdated, especially with the MeToo movement...It makes you think that maybe the two eras aren't all that different from each other after all.
I always considered that marrying for love is such a modern concept and didn't expect that outright statement to be from a Middle Ages writer.
I am not surprised by some of the quotes that I thought were medieval to actually be modern. We often forget being on such a small open-minded campus that vulgar and hurtful statements are still made in the world.

This activity is one that students continue to refer to throughout the course of the semester. Almost universally, they express surprise at the difficulty in identifying the time period of each statement, and they are more willing to discuss their own misconceptions of periodization and the concept of "progress." After this activity, students begin to question whether their assumptions are correct.

As a further note, when I have used this activity in conference presentations to experts in the field, they too have similar experiences as undergraduates. They express difficulty in identifying the time period of the quotations, often commenting that many of them really could be either "modern" or "medieval." Rather than breaking down pre- or mis-conceptions as with undergraduate students, this activity helps experts in the field grapple with how to present our studies and how to discuss the significance of the Middle Ages, especially to wider audiences.

Activity 3: Relevant Readings

Students are assigned to read a variety of articles over a week's time. While these readings change each semester depending upon current events and new publications, these include articles written by experts for news sites, online magazines, and blogs created by medievalists as well as book and journal articles. Topics range from views of gender and studies on climate change to historical views on eating disorders, immigration, and "fake news."

The article about women and bulimia was very surprising to us. The idea of having a sensitive body image even back then is something I have never thought about.
In "Medievalist helps scientists rewrite climate records" the medievalist had documentation of volcanic eruptions based on the severe cold observed by people at the time, which helped him to find the right date. This was pretty interesting.
The sense that contemporary people have about medieval culture is misleading. There is more to it, as well as many aspects of it that still exist within our own culture.
We still found ways to express ourselves and others through poems in medieval times, although it's in a different writing technique. The poem in this article [Pearl] gives off many emotions to try and connect with the author's audience and it is interpreted in many ways.
Fake news has ALWAYS been around. The idea that we can get someone to believe something because we say that we got the information from a place they cannot get themselves has always been there. We used to call it false prophecy but now it has been coined the term fake news.
Some issues seen today have traces that derived from medieval times. When we can't see where they derive from, we can't find a way to bring that certain perspective of a culture to an end. By studying medieval romances we can further understand the concept behind Islamophobia.

I have learned over several semesters that it is essential to have a variety of types of articles in this section, including more popular styles such as online magazine articles with more traditional publications. First, this class in particular is a general education course, which means that the students are majors from across campus. The readings are more effective if they represent a wide spread of disciplines and topics as well as reading levels. Second, it is powerful for students to see that experts in the field are engaging in public scholarship, that the work of medieval studies is not confined to academic journal articles and books. The study of the Middle Ages is significant beyond the assumed "ivory tower."

Activity 4: (Mis)Appropriation of the Middle Ages

After the Charlottesville riots in August 2017, medievalists all over the world struggled with how to address the medieval imagery and information (mis)used by white supremacists and the (mis)appropriation of our field. I felt a moral obligation at that time to educate my students on this misuse. To that end, Fitchburg State librarian Renée Fratantonio and I teamed up to develop an activity that would combine content with information literacy and approach this appropriation through the lens of disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda. To develop this activity, I sifted through a variety of digital artifacts - web sites, discussion boards, Tweets, memes, historical documents, etc. - that appropriate medieval imagery or themes to make their points in order to compile an archive for my students to examine. In class, we begin discussion with the concepts of information and its manifestations as well as responsibilities for accuracy. Then, in groups, students examine themed sets of artifacts with the purpose of identifying main messages and assumptions as well as questions raised. Click the button above for the full activity. Note of preparation: some of these artifacts may be graphic, and some may be triggering.

For full image of example artifacts, click each one individually. Note of preparation: while those selected as examples here are not the more disturbing of the artifacts, some may still be graphic, and some may be triggering.
We can begin to question whether or not these creators of artifacts are aware of the positive contributions of Islamic society. We can also question why they glorify such archaic ways. By researching a list of concepts that were contributed by Islamic society, one can begin to counter the points of these artifacts.
Why is [it] that these images portray all Muslims as “bad” and generalize the entire religion and make “us” the modern-day crusaders? We would do further research to how the [actual] Crusades and th[ese] “modern-day crusades” are related and the parallels between them.
Some research that we could do to get more information on the matter is that we could reflect on what Hitler had done in the past [and] research the time period of the Middle Ages. We could also read more on behalf of the certain types of propaganda that have come about in the past few hundred years in regards to white supremacy.

This activity has proven to be incredibly powerful for students. They are not prepared for the serious application of medieval studies. Discussion in class demonstrates the students' concern over the appropriation of medieval imagery, and they begin to ask penetrating questions about the reasons for this appropriation and how the imagery has been distorted. The effectiveness of this activity certainly depends upon the students in the class and their willingness to engage with these topics, and, as with any group, some individuals will be more reticent than others. Fortunately, my experiences have been positive, but the experiences of other instructors with different circumstances may vary.

One, it is imperative to warn students about the content they will encounter in this activity, especially any students from marginalized groups. Two, I do not recommend giving students the links to any of the artifacts, but rather providing them as screenshots or other formats. I do not feel comfortable providing students with direct access to this material, nor do I want them to engage on any of the public sites from which they are taken. Three, I have found that this activity works best later in any series of activities that address such topics. Students need some engagement with breaking down preconceptions before they encounter such ideas as (mis)appropriation. Four, it was suggested to me as I was developing this activity that it should end with students reading further work by field experts on each of the topics. This advice proved to be correct as it allowed students to think further about the reality of the Middle Ages rather than the appropriated fantasies.

Given the heavy nature of the discussions in this activity, I prefer to end the activity on a positive and uplifting note and one that emphasizes the power of education. To that goal, I tell them the story of Derek Black. Mr. Black was the heir-apparent to the hate group Stormfront, founded by his father. Raised to take over the mission of this organization, he then attended a liberal arts college in Florida, especially to study medieval history. Telling Mr. Black's story in Rising Out of Hatred, Eli Saslow writes:

He had chosen New College because he wanted to study medieval history, and he had been drawn to medieval history in part because the mythology of white nationalism centered on the Middle Ages...Instead the facts of history pointed him to another conclusion: The iconic European warriors so often celebrated on Stormfront had never thought of themselves as white, Derek decided. Some of them had considered skin color not a hard biological fact but a condition that could change over time based on culture, diet, and climate. They had fought not for their race but for religion, culture, power, and money, just like every other empire of the Middle Ages...And if he had been that wrong about history - his field of expertise - then he was also willing to believe he had been wrong about so much else. (241-43)

Mr. Black's story is far more complicated that this one epiphany, but it emphasizes how education affected his previous worldview as well as his understanding of the Middle Ages. Derek Black later denounced his connection to Stormfront and became a graduate student of medieval history.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTS

After completing this unit in the first two weeks of the course, students are asked to articulate in the form of three Significance Statements why they now personally believe studying early British literature is valuable. They are required to make reference to at least three sources we encounter in the class up to this point.

Any assessment I could make of their statements would not be as powerful as their own words. Below are excerpts from several students that emphasize their development in understanding, empathy, curiosity, and nuance.

We all walk around with our preconceived notions of people and places. Much of what I assumed to be true about Middle Ages life has actually been debunked to some degree over the last few weeks of this class. I thought of that time period as unquestionably more brutal and less accepting compared to today. The group activity we did very early on in the semester did a good job of showing me how wrong I was...More than anything, it was a lesson to not assume I know what an entire time period was like without actually doing the research. It also showed me that maybe I do not know enough about the messages of modern day politicians and to be cautious about following the people in power. Karl Steele put it well in his essay about modern misconceptions of the Middle Ages ["'The Brutal Middle Ages' and other smug modern errors"], saying it is “smug” to think of ourselves as better and beyond those times. I was guilty of, in my own way, creating a ‘Me vs Them’ mentality by distancing myself so much.
In starting this course I have realized how terribly wrong my perspective on the Middle Ages has been....Something I have found significant so far in our study of British literature is how engrained old history is in modern times, yet most of the time our interpretation of the past is false. When you actually stop to think about stories of the past woven into modern culture, you start to see the evidence everywhere...We need to understand that the films and books we read aren’t an accurate representation. I have definitely misinterpreted the past. With all these incorrect depictions of the past, it’s hard not to stereotype the past. There’s a blurred line of fiction and reality, which I want to see clearly. We can enjoy the fiction of the past, as long as we understand that we need to look into the historical facts to see the real culture.
Early British literature has not been a topic of much discussion in my classes in the past, but I believe that it should have been. British literature has had a sizable impact on the histories and literature of cultures all over the world. To me, one of the greatest reasons that we should be reading early British literature is that there is so much to know about the time period, including influences seen today, that need the background knowledge to use it effectively.
In the article [Kathleen Kennedy's "What Sansa Stark's Rape Tells Us About Our Culture," the author mentions] multiple stories from this period on how the victims were treated with concern and care. As well as the stories, they also note that “medieval people cared about the victims of rape." They also mention that the “[m]edieval age of consent laws were intended to ensure that a wife-to-be was old enough to know what she was about to do before she went to the church door to be married." For the longest time I always considered the medieval period to be a darker time in life, where they were more primitive than how they actually were. Don’t get me wrong, even the article notes how people that were charged rarely got punished, but in my eyes, I honestly thought that they just didn’t care about it and completely blamed the victim. This article was very interesting to read, and without it I wouldn’t have known what rape was truly thought of during this period.
Studying [the Middle Ages] will not only help you draw parallels between the past and present, but will also help students discover the origin of many social problems and beliefs. Propaganda and the unification of a group of people over a shared hatred or fear of something has been used as a political and military strategy by leaders for generations now.
Studying the Middle Ages is extremely important in order to discover more about ourselves and other cultures. In today's society, studying the humanities might be overlooked in favor of more “important” areas, like math or science. However, in the article “This Is Your Brain on Medieval Studies,” [Joshua] Eyler shows readers that the humanities can do so much more for you...By studying the humanities, it, for one, helps us attain a better understanding and appreciation of our world: past, present, and future. It is also essential for the development of our brains and how we learn...Overall, in learning about medieval studies, we gain both a better understanding of ourselves, and other cultures involved in the time period, both in the past and present.
Ultimately, studying early British literature is valuable for us because we can compare and contrast the medieval era to the modern era and see the chain of events that led to creating the culture that we live in today and how much of it can resemble the past.
From the readings during the month of January, it has become very apparent that the proper education of early British Literature and the events that went on during those times has become skewed for most people. Information has been lost, and people nowadays have a different idea or mentality towards British literature. Teachers and professors have been spending time now, trying to get the right ideas and facts straight across the students that are learning about early British literature. Learning about this time has also changed drastically over the decades, and it’s important to distinguish the differences between then and now. Early British literature is critical to making sure the basis for our knowledge of these times is complete and accurate.
Over this past month, my understanding of how we are connected to the past has grown. This enhances my sense of perspective, in turn allowing me to delve into the topic in a more involved manner. Hopefully with my newfound understanding I can move forward more effectively in my studies, and learn on my own more confidently about the Medieval world. Furthermore, given this improved sensitivity towards these works, it can be possible to better find one’s place in the world—both relative to the past and the present...We are far more connected to the past and its events than we may initially think. Many of the events we are seeing in the modern day closely mirror those of the Middle Ages...I would argue we are inherently susceptible to misunderstanding the medieval world simply because of the time difference between then and now. Much like there exist stereotypes about various cultures in today’s world, which is often accentuated by the distance between us and cultures we do not understand, there is a gap of understanding between most people and the medieval period. Part of this issue is the assumption that the Middle Ages are “backwards” compared to modern society simply because we know modern life to have progressed in some ways...Finally, and quite importantly, neglecting an understanding of history can backfire because poor assumptions can strongly affect one’s worldview.
[A] lot of what is popularized or what we think we know about the Middle Ages is actually a case of misinformation. For example, in an article by David M. Perry [“What to Do When Nazis Are Obsessed With Your Field"], he talked about white supremacists using medieval influences in their propaganda. They would do so with the idea that their views matched those of the people of the Middle Ages when in fact, “the simple fact that there were medieval people of color in pre-modern European artwork. It was never the pure white fantasy of the white supremacists.” Now knowing that these beliefs are false we can use this literature to educate people like that so they better understand the symbolism they’re misrepresenting...The fact that we can see these modern day problems deeply rooted in society as far back as the Middle Ages can make studying British literature a means of opening people’s eyes to bring about actual change.
It is extremely important to study the Middle Ages, specifically to the point that it gives us context in regards to the historical inaccuracy of the “imagined Middle Ages.” Of course this is a direct reference from the article “Racism, Medievalism, and the White Supremacists of Charlottesville” [by Josephine Livingstone], in which the topic of medievalism is discussed in depth in order to give the reader the understanding that the Middle Ages these hate groups constantly reference are nothing but a fantasy. Such is obvious through the statement: “Medieval studies scholars and cultural historians call this practice 'medievalism' because it doesn’t actually refer to a real time or place in history: it’s all about fantasies." These quotations...are a perfect example of why learning about the Middle Ages is valuable, since it can help us distinguish true medieval happenings from those that are false in nature that were created by these white supremacist groups in an attempt to misinform those around them with historically inaccurate information. This article later goes on to discuss that in Charlottesville these white supremacists “wore their 'medievalism' on their sleeves” establishing the point that they had no interest in historical accuracy, only an interest in fueling the hatred in those around them with these fantasies, giving value to studying the Middle Ages in order to counter these imagined events with historical facts and evidence.
We must, as learners and educators, continue to study the time period of early British literature for a few important reasons. We as learners can understand the development of early languages and cultures that later formed the English language as we know it today. We can also understand the sciences and history that was recorded back then to help us understand our current climate and geography...As a student, the value of discussing the past and realizing what it can teach about the future is crucial. We as humans are constantly bombarded with new information; whether right or wrong, it is there and inevitable. However, it is our duty to deconstruct that information that is given to us and allow ourselves to realize what truly is right and wrong, good or bad. For many of my years at school, I was taught to assume that not many important historical events happened during the medieval period. Not only did they not have the technology that we do now, but I assumed that we know a vast amount more than they did because of that lack of technology. Although at a first glance it may seem true, the idea that those providing the information back then, such as historians and scientists, were all wrong and did not make advances in their time is an unfortunate notion. In each generation, we are gifted with many influential persons who bring about changes in our current era of the world. Why would it be different during the medieval time?
In a modern society, it is impossible to not reflect upon the history and literature of the past. The collective humanities, attributed to medieval Britain, are vital sources of study for reflection purposes and offer insight into the change of society. It is evident that the study of British literature from the medieval period is significant to providing progressive solutions for problems society faces. Since its importance has been questioned, British literature is an important discipline of study as it provides an eye-opening account of social justice issues that run parallel to problems involving sexual assault, incorrect persuasive rhetoric, and racism.
The reason why taking literature courses such as early British literature is important and valuable is because it strengthens our capabilities as students in meaningful ways. The first reason studying medieval literature is valuable is because what students do in the course can be applied to many other fields such as in science. Another point is that it will improve the thought process of students in the sense that there will be less incompetence and ignorance to history and the medieval period in particular. Also, studying medieval British literature gives us the possibility to weigh in our options and actively work towards different diverse goals using the knowledge we learned from the class.
In the beginning of this class I expected to just do the work that I was required to do and pass the class in order to fill my requirement. However, only two weeks in this has become one of my favorite classes to attend, and the one I have become the most interested in. There is a lot to be learned about the Middle Ages and a lot that can still be applied today. Throughout Unit 1 we have analyzed many articles that show the relevance of studying the Middle Ages in today’s society. Due to this it was hard to narrow my options down to the ones that I wanted to use for my significance statements...The readings of unit one have changed my attitude towards taking this class and also towards the importance of studying the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were an interesting time, it was not all Vikings and fighting, like I had originally believed. There are a lot of lessons people can learn from studying this period. For example, someone who studies the Middle Ages will better understand diversity, traditions, and how people and things came to be where they are today. There is a lot that can be applied today from the Middle Ages, as we saw medievalists helping scientists and microbiologists. However, unfortunately, with all the good we can learn from the Middle Ages, there is also the bad. I have learned throughout the readings that we as a society are not as different as we think we are or want to be. A lot of today’s problems are the same as theirs, such as murder, rape, equality, and even the lack of punishment for people who commit these crimes. Studying the Middle Ages is significant so we can expand our knowledge and learn from previous literature and technology.
When thinking about how early on in the semester it still is, I find myself both surprised and equally impressed by the amount of early British literature that we as a class have had the opportunity to dissect. The authors, poets, philosophers, kings, historians, etc., that we have observed the writings of have helped to further polish our lens to the past and have given us insight into the ways in which events from the past continue to ripple through even our modern day society...The teachings and knowledge that have been presented to us through both early British literature as well as studies of the Middle Ages in general have helped us to better understand our world, our own minds, and further, how to avoid mistakes and lapses in judgement. The Middle Ages are often referred to as the "Dark Ages," and I really couldn’t tell you why that is after seeing firsthand how significantly these ages have affected our modern society.

While certainly not every student demonstrates the same level of development in thought about the significance of studying the Middle Ages, an overwhelming majority are able to articulate clearly a new-found understanding of why they are in a class on early British literature. They repeatedly make this connection throughout the semester, often referencing discussions from this first unit as we read the literature of the period. Many students will return after the semester has ended to tell me about encountering the medieval either in their daily lives or in other classes and how they were able to make more complex connections and evaluations. Given the experiences of my students, I highly recommend the creation of an activity or activities that directly addresses the significance of studying the Middle Ages.

Cited by Students

Eyler, Joshua R. “This Is Your Brain on Medieval Studies.” In Burn after Reading: Miniature Manifestoes on Post/medieval Studies. Ed. Eileen Joy. Punctum Books, 2014.

Kennedy, Kathleen. "What Sansa Stark's Rape Tells Us About Our Culture." VICE, May 22 2015.

Livingstone, Josephine. “Racism, Medievalism, and the White Supremacists of Charlottesville.” New Republic, 15 Aug. 2017.

Perry, David M. Perry. "What to Do When Nazis Are Obsessed With Your Field." Pacific Standard, 6 Sept. 2017.

Steel, Karl. "'The Brutal Middle Ages' and other smug modern errors." In the Middle, 1 July 2016.

Further Sources

Bond, Sarah. "Hold My Mead: A Bibliography For Historians Hitting Back At White Supremacy." History from Below, 10 Sept. 2017.

Heng, Geraldine. The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Hsy, Jonathan, and Julie Orlemanski. "Race and medieval studies: a partial bibliography." postmedieval 8 (2017): 500-31.

Wollenberg, Daniel. Medieval Imagery in Today's Politics. ARC Humanities Press, 2018.

Resource Collections

ARC Humanities Press: Teaching in the Middle Ages Series

Boydell & Brewer: Gender in the Middle Ages Series

MedievalPOC

The Public Medievalist

Significance of Studying the Middle Ages: Curated Collection of Articles

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching