neomedievalism decades apart
medieval influences of Umberto Eco
Neomedievalism refers to the revival or reimagining of themes, aesthetics, and influences from the medieval period in contemporary culture. It entails resurrecting aspects of medieval symbolism, narrative styles, cultural expressions, and ways of thinking that shaped early modern Western civilization.
James Joyce was one of the earliest contributors to neomedievalism through his modernist classic Ulysses. Joyce reincorporated allegory and dense symbolism reminiscent of medieval literature into his experimental novel. He also revisited epic tropes from texts like Dante’s Divine Comedy. Huizinga delved deeply into the unique cultural mindset of the late medieval era in “The Waning of the Middle Ages.” He uncovered how this period shaped conceptions of time, life cycles, and humanity’s place in the grand scheme.
Umberto Eco expanded on Joyce and neomedievalism in his 1965 study “Le poetiche di Joyce.” Eco analyzed how Joyce integrated complex allegory and history by incorporating themes like the relationship between past and present. He demonstrated Joyce’s sophisticated use of medieval symbols to reinvent narratives. Eco shed new light on Joyce’s dense integration of medieval influences into revolutionary modern works.
While their works were produced decades apart, Joyce, Huizinga, and Eco all made significant contributions to rediscovering and reimagining the medievalperiod’s profound influences. Their insights into medieval culture and mentality continue to provide a rich foundation for ongoing examinations of neomedievalism in art, literature and our understanding of history.