The Intentional Curation of Short Verse Narratives in a Compilation Manuscript for a Medieval Audience

Abstract

This dissertation investigates a compilation manuscript of short verse texts from the fourteenth century, Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (ÖNB), Cod. 2885. It examines the organizational structures in order to demonstrate that it is a purposefully curated collection. By analyzing individual stories and clusters of texts according to their stylistic, thematic, and linguistic features, I demonstrate that the collection is carefully constructed with a specific audience in mind. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the codex that contributes to a more detailed description of its audience. This includes an analysis of the manuscript in comparison to similar contemporary manuscripts, and it considers the inclusion of paratextual features and narrative structures. Additional focus is given to the characters within the narratives as well as the emotions expressed by those characters. This points toward how various emotions were valued or devalued and helps to build a more robust profile of the intended audience. These multiple, overlapping layers demonstrate that the manuscript’s audience consisted of both men and women with a relatively high social standing. They most likely lived in an urban environment and were familiar with biblical, Latin, and medieval German literatures. Though they may not have been part of a formal, royal court, they still aspired to hold on to the lofty ideals propagated by courtly literature. While this is a case study, it has the potential to be mapped onto other compilation manuscripts. This approach contributes to the reconstruction of the medieval reception of short verse narratives and a closer understanding of how, why, and for whom such manuscripts were produced.