In this four-part series, "Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Literature," Dr. David Allen White discusses Petrarch and the New Role of the Self in Poetry, The Canterbury Tales, Medieval Drama and The Wakefield Noah is performed.

Petrarch and the New Role of the Self in Poetry
Dr. David Allen White analyses the person and poetry of Petrarch, who arguably introduced the literary forms of the High Middle Ages in the 14th century, specifically the sonnet. Petrarch is contrasted with Dante, and in Petrarch is seen the beginning Humanism, the beginning of the loss of the Christian sense of immortality in Western culture.

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Dr. David Allen White introduces Chaucer, telling his life and focusing on his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales. Dr. White explains the connection between Chaucer and the works of Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch, and shows how The Canterbury Tales reveals a whole tapestry of the social order of the Middle Ages. Dr. White also explains how the Tales contain seeds of modern thought, as we see the individual beginning to strive to break free of the Catholic social order. Analysis of the Medieval understanding of stories as such.

Medieval Drama
Dr. David Allen White introduces Medieval drama, explaining its various forms, its historical development from tropes inserted within the Mass to full-scale stage plays, and its purpose as an entertaining visualization of important truths.

The Wakefield Noah
The Wakefield Noah, a Medieval Mystery Play, is performed by members of the Dietrich Von Hildebrand Institute.

Taken from: Christianity in the Late Middle Ages-Early Renaissance - 1996 VonHildebrand Institute