Chapter 22. The circulation of Latin texts during the Middle Ages

Abstract

This chapter begins by discussing methods of elucidating the diffusion of texts and proceeds by examining the material, cultural, and social factors that influenced their circulation. Among the material and economic factors were the cost and availability of writing materials, features such as script and format of books, and the accessibility of libraries and availability of different types of book manufacturing. Since a great part of medieval literature was transmitted orally, there is a complex relationship between oral and written transmission, occasionally switching between Latin and the vernacular languages. Knowledge of Latin was the prerequisite for access to this literature and Latinitas varied greatly according to period, region, and social group. Most Latin texts were written for an individual or a comparatively small audience, but some of them reached broader audiences, depending on the social networks of the authors, their communities, and their dedicatees.