Forms of Individuality and Literacy in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods

Edited by Franz-Josef Arlinghaus

Book cover: Forms of Individuality and Literacy in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods

Extent: 317 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Early Modern & Renaissance Studies, Medieval Studies

Series: Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy

Series volume number: 31

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(September 2015)

ISBN: 9782503552200

Price: $138.00

In stock

Through case studies of a broad variety of medieval and early modern sources, this volume discusses whether the roots of modern notions of individuality can be found in pre-modern Europe.


‘Individuality’ is one of the central categories of modern society. Can the roots of modern individuality be found in pre-modern times? Or is our way of thinking about ourselves a very recent phenomenon? This book takes a theoretical approach to the problem, derived from Niklas Luhmann’s system theory, in which different forms of individuality are linked to different structures of society in modern and pre-modern times. The papers in this volume approach this problem by discussing a broad variety of medieval and early modern sources, including charters and seals, letters, and naming-practices in a late medieval town. Self-representation is also considered, in ‘housebooks’ and drawings. Textual studies include autobiography in German Humanism, and concepts of individuality and gender in late medieval literary texts.

  • Edited by Franz-Josef Arlinghaus