Das englische Spätmittelalter: Kulturelle Normen, Lebenspraxis, by Stephan Kohl (review)

SWDIES IN THE AGE OF CHAUCER ofthe quotations from Old French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin, but for the most part he does a careful job of paraphrasing such quotations as he introduces them. The book has both a general index and a very useful bibliographical index to the works cited in the footnotes. SHERRY L. REAMES University of Wisconsin, Madison STEPHAN KOHL. Das englische Spatmittelalter: Kulturelle Normen, Lebenspraxis, Texte. Studien Zur Englischen Philologie, Neue Folge, Band 24. Tiibingen: Max Niemeyer, 1986. Pp. viii, 270. DM 78.00 Critical views ofthe general characer ofthe late Middle Ages are even today widely divergent. In 1982 an international symposium was held in Re­ gensburg (West Germany) on the fifteenth century. But in spite of the motto chosen by the organizers ("The turning ofthe tide"), only one ofthe four plenary speakers (Derek Pearsall) underlined the innovative character of the period. Otto Griindler stressed its affinity to traditional views and values, and Charles Moorman regarded inflexibility and stagnation as the main characteristics. The last plenary speaker, Karl Bosl ofMunich argued emphatically that the medieval tide did not turn before the eighteenth century. The puzzledaudiencecould not demur tothe accuracy ofthe often repeated statement the Late Middle Ages are still terra incognita, not because of the lack of critical interest, but because of the many divergent maps which explorers have drawn. Stephan Kohl's book is therefore a welcome contribution towards a better definition of the mental construct "Middle Ages" and its gradual modification. In Kohl's opinion, the general context consists of the entirety of sub­ systems as constituted in the texts. They are distinguished by hard and fast norms from deviating phenomena outside these systems. The cultural state, as reconstructed through the individual texts, is a matrix of norms which can be welded into a structured whole. Only this construct is termed "culture" by Kohl. All phenomena outside the norms and rules of this realm he designates as "non-culture" (p. 11). This does not, however, imply a devaluation ofthe unordered items. Onthe contrary, Kohlisinterested in differentiating between a closed ortextualculture which is part and parcel of the established system of norms, and an open, i.e., functional culture 160 REVIEWS which broadens the scope of accepted concepts as soon as a functional type develops, which constitues criteria generally agreed upon. Then we are confronted with an epochal transition, i.e., with a new culture. In order to determine the general character of the Late Middle Ages, Kohl analyzes textual theorems which have become relevant on several levels. For this purpose he subdivides "culture" into various sections, which in tum are divided into further units. It is self-evident that these areas can only be seen as representative examples. Kohl restricts himself to the following points: economics, social strata, war and chivalry, monarchy, religion, natural philosophy and naturalscience.Foreach of thesesubjects, Kohl determines thedate of conception ofnew norms, as wellas the date of their acceptance and, thus, their cultural validity. These dates he calls "chronoterms." With their assistance he defines chronometric aspects of cultural typology so that the opposition of systems can be depicted as an historical sequence. The result of his analysis is that no correlation exists between the chronology and modernity of ideas emerging in literary works. Medieval worksare occasionally reinterpreted according to new systems of rules while non-medieval texts aremedievalized.Kohl admits, however, that there are texts which exist outside all systems analyzed by him. When defining the character of an epoch or the emergence of a new world picture, one has to rely on works in which old and new values are juxtaposed and influence each other mutually. In Kohl's opinion, the fifteenth century is an epoch of unreleased tensions between the officially valid system of rules and the practice of minor cultural institutions. On the basis of carefully selected texts, Kohl deals with nearly all important cultural norms of the Late Middle Ages and their relevance to everyday life. Thus, it goeswithoutsaying that not all ofhis interpretations and evaluations will be agreed upon. The crux of Kohl's book (as well as other similar ambitious surveys) is the ordering of an immense amount of material, an undertaking which...