When someone brings up the Middle Ages in a conversation or in a history lesson, people usually think of brave and handsome knights fighting dragons and rescuing princesses from castles. Though knights were prominent in the Middle Ages, they were not the most important part of them by far. That honor goes to the authors of the Middle Ages. One of the reasons knight tales are well known is because the authors of the Middle Ages made those tales so grand. They were not just great story tellers, the authors in that time frame also constructed their own words, sayings and even their very own languages, including parts of the English language we still use today. The authors of the Middle Ages helped shape society by composing stories that many authors
…show more content…
However, one woman, Margery Kempe, is credited for inventing a type of book that people still write today. Kempe was born in 1373, though her exact date of birth is unknown, to a wealthy family in England. Like most women in the Middle Ages “Kempe did not know how to read or write, due to the gender barriers at the time. But over time she taught herself basic writing and reading skills” (Alchin). “She eventually got married at age twenty and had fourteen children” (Alchin) Her reason for having so many kids was crazy, even for the time. After giving birth to her first child “Kempe became mentally unstable. She would constantly get visions, nervous breakdowns, or just start wailing and crying for no particular reason” (Alchin). Since people did not know mental issues existed at the time, “Kempe said that these outbursts were caused by God sending her messages. She then took on a life of Christianity and continued to have children” (Alchin). Since Kempe was a woman, “she was heavily criticized for claiming to be a prophet of Christianity.” (Alchin) It also did not help that she needed to have sex and give birth to have visions. Throughout her life, “Kempe went on many religious pilgrimages and decided to document them in a book called “The Book of Margery Kempe”. That book became the first autobiography ever written in the English language, and is the one thing that people remember Kempe for” …show more content…
Geoffrey Chaucer was viewed as the father of English poetry and language even though his style was satirical and usually made up of nonsense. John Gower was hired by Richard II to make English into a more popular language by using poetry and was not afraid to take shots at Richard II in his work. Margery Kempe, though mentally unstable, had the honor of making a milestone in writing by composing the first ever autobiography ever written in English. Some people may say that the eras that came after the Middle Ages were better when it came to stories and poems, but without the Middle Ages the eras that came after would not have anything to work off of in terms of writing and every story that would come out of those ages would be the same as the stuff that came out of the Anglo-Saxon era, a bunch of tales about epic
However, one woman, Margery Kempe, is credited for inventing a type of book that people still write today. Kempe was born in 1373, though her exact date of birth is unknown, to a wealthy family in England. Like most women in the Middle Ages “Kempe did not know how to read or write, due to the gender barriers at the time. But over time she taught herself basic writing and reading skills” (Alchin). “She eventually got married at age twenty and had fourteen children” (Alchin) Her reason for having so many kids was crazy, even for the time. After giving birth to her first child “Kempe became mentally unstable. She would constantly get visions, nervous breakdowns, or just start wailing and crying for no particular reason” (Alchin). Since people did not know mental issues existed at the time, “Kempe said that these outbursts were caused by God sending her messages. She then took on a life of Christianity and continued to have children” (Alchin). Since Kempe was a woman, “she was heavily criticized for claiming to be a prophet of Christianity.” (Alchin) It also did not help that she needed to have sex and give birth to have visions. Throughout her life, “Kempe went on many religious pilgrimages and decided to document them in a book called “The Book of Margery Kempe”. That book became the first autobiography ever written in the English language, and is the one thing that people remember Kempe for” …show more content…
Geoffrey Chaucer was viewed as the father of English poetry and language even though his style was satirical and usually made up of nonsense. John Gower was hired by Richard II to make English into a more popular language by using poetry and was not afraid to take shots at Richard II in his work. Margery Kempe, though mentally unstable, had the honor of making a milestone in writing by composing the first ever autobiography ever written in English. Some people may say that the eras that came after the Middle Ages were better when it came to stories and poems, but without the Middle Ages the eras that came after would not have anything to work off of in terms of writing and every story that would come out of those ages would be the same as the stuff that came out of the Anglo-Saxon era, a bunch of tales about epic