Truth of Fiction? Reading Medieval Religious Short Stories

International and Global Studies Colloquium “Truth of Fiction? Reading Medieval Religious Short Stories” by Stefano Mula, associate professor of Italian.

Stephen Jay Gould suggested that we should have been called “homo narrator”, and not “homo sapiens”, to highlight our propensity for telling stories. In the twelfth century, a new religious order, the Cistercians, developed their own particular way of telling stories as a way to teach rules, spirituality, history, and foster a sense of community. The Cistercians called those stories with a variety of names such as visions, miracles, relations or, as they are often called today, exempla, or examples. In this presentation I will focus on the validity of exempla as historical sources, while at the same time analyzing their literary value.

Lunch is free for current Middlebury College students/faculty/staff; suggested $5 donation for others; RSVP by 10/17 to rcga@middlebury.edu. Sponsored by the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs.