Friars’ Tales (Web PDF) von Rosemary Horrox

David Jones has translated two important collections of short stories from the late thirteenth century that were assembled in the British Isles. The collections of narratives depict working daily life as well as offering a moral and theological insight into medieval life overall.

Series editors forewordPrefaceList of abbreviationsIntroductionMedieval preaching and preaching aidsThe Liber Exemplorum The Cambridge Dominican CollectionExempla: transmission and contentTranslationsThe Liber ExemplorumSelected exempla from the Cambridge Dominican CollectionSelect bibliographyIndex

Exempla are illustrative stories used by preachers to seize the attention of their congregations and to drive home a moral lesson. This book presents annotated translations from two collections of exempla, one Franciscan and one Dominican, put together in the British Isles around 1275. The two collections used are amongst the earliest to survive from the British Isles. The 270 exempla translated cover a wide range of topics, both ecclesiastical and secular, and offer vivid insights into medieval life and attitudes in the broadest sense. An introduction discusses the place of preaching in the medieval church, the development of preaching aids and the exemplum genre, the main topics covered by the exempla, the dating of the two collections translated and the use which the compilers made of their material, and how far exempla can be relied upon as historical evidence.

David Jones is a private scholar who lives in Edinburgh