The Mythological Sciences of John Gower, Medieval Classicists, and Morgan MS M. 126

The scientific emphases of the Confessio Amantis's Book VII and of New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, MS M.126 have often been treated as anomalies in an otherwise ethical poem and its manuscripts' relatively commercial production of illustrations. However, medieval reading aids for the classical literature that inspired much of Gower's poem demonstrate similar penchants for integrating such scientific readings into classical narratives while teaching readers the fundamentals of composition. Thus, this article argues that what seem like scientific digressions actually constitute a foundational component of writing instruction: instruction that inculcated in medieval students of classical literature a perception of encyclopedic knowledge and poetic composition as collaborative representations of worldly experience. In this regard, the three examples of reading history supplied by medieval classicists, Gower, and the creators of Morgan M. 126 demonstrate a fluid understanding of how arts and sciences lent themselves as tools for terrestrial navigation. With these layers of reader reception, the article expounds on how medieval audiences developed a comprehensive approach to verbal arts and natural philosophy, an approach predicated on the belief that all earthly events, including scientific phenomena, rely on narratives to render them intelligible and significant.