| Abstract |
The project explores the production and transmission of the vernacular Elucidarium in England, using manuscript evidence to determine how the text was produced and disseminated between the 12th and 15th centuries, and to explain its place in the broader context of late medieval pastoral care. Some seventy extant manuscripts in English, Anglo-Norman and French will be examined, and data collected relating to centres of production, patrons and owners. The data will be collated and analysed in order to establish patterns of textual production, transmission and ownership, and the ways in which these changed over time. The project also tracks changes in the form and content of the text, and considers the extent to which these can be linked to culturally specific historical moments. A particular concern of the project will be to establish points of contact between the physical texts and named people and places, in order to identify real reading and writing events. |