Abstract
The English carol’s mixture of vernacular and Latin lyrics has caused difficulties for its reception: was it once connected to high status, liturgical, Latin song of the church, or was its preservation in manuscript a fortuitous exception to the popular song of the Middle Ages that has otherwise all but vanished? The carol’s poetic topics—which range from the Nativity to satire and social commentary—have likewise compounded the problems of categorization for anthologists. In the present study, Colton and McInnes distance themselves from the nationalism and nostalgia that have led to carols’ primary reception as low-status lyric, arguing that the genre cut across social categorizations. Close analysis of several examples demonstrates ways in which carols crossed popular and liturgical traditions and underlines the potential significance of the carol for understanding insular devotional culture before 1450.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Vernacular Aesthetics in the Later Middle Ages |
| Subtitle of host publication | Politics, Performativity, and Reception from Literature to Music |
| Editors | Katherine W. Jager |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan, Cham |
| Chapter | 4 |
| Pages | 119-149 |
| Number of pages | 31 |
| Edition | 1 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783030183349 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783030183332, 3030183335 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Aug 2019 |
Publication series
| Name | The New Middle Ages |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
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Cite this
Colton, L., & McInnes, L. (2019). High or Low? Medieval English Carols as Part of Vernacular Culture, 1380-1450. In K. W. Jager (Ed.), Vernacular Aesthetics in the Later Middle Ages: Politics, Performativity, and Reception from Literature to Music (1 ed., pp. 119-149). (The New Middle Ages). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18334-9_5