Maîtres et élèves au Moyen Age
[Teachers and Students in the Middle Ages]

“We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants”. This “bon mots” was famousy formulated by Bernard of Chartres in the twelfth century, when he described the situation of the clergy of his time. Crushed by the weight of the legacy of the ancients, all their efforts were on to restore and master.

Written by two leading experts, this story of teachers and students in the medieval West shows how to succeed at the time of cathedrals and monastic schools as well as at one of the most brilliant medieval revivals, the universities. These new institutions created the possibility for a wide the expansion of public teaching. The book delves into the lives of both teachers and students, describing the constraints on their aspirations and recalling what guided their work. Students and teachers shared the same requirements of high spirituality and the same insatiable curiosity.

Pierre Riché is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Paris X Nanterre.

Jacques Verger is a professor of cultural history from the Middle Ages at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne.

Maîtres et élèves au Moyen Age
By Pierre Riché and Jacques verger
Publisher: Fayard / Plural (13 March 2013)
Language: French
ISBN-10: 2818503329
ISBN-13: 978-2818503324
£8.55