Prof. Albrecht Classen
This talk will examine the huge influence of medieval literature, history, and the arts on the modern world and argue for a much more open perspective toward cultural history. Even though we are now in the twenty-first century, this does not mean at all that the past has lost in relevance. In fact, both popular culture and academic research have demonstrated that the Middle Ages in its endless manifestations continue to exert a huge influence on us. On the one hand, there is the popular interest in castles, tournaments, armors, weapons, etc., which has had a huge influence on modern movies, graphic novels, video games, etc. On the other, research has demonstrated that many of the ideas or concepts developed in the Middle Ages continue to have a deep impact on us and might well be pilot lights for us in an ever darker world today without directions, ethical and moral ideals, or spiritual orientation. Notions such as happiness, friendship, love, God, nature, or honor were fundamentally developed in the Middle Ages, and we can easily recognize their unchanging value for us today.
