From Birth to Old Age: The Human Life Cycle in Medieval Thought 1250-1350

by Michael E. Goodich

This book explores the relationship between the writings of the saint biographer, the hagiographer and contemporary medical, theological and pedagogical sources. Concentrating on a period of great economic and social advance prior to the crises of the fourteenth century, the author determines whether the theoretical musings of the medieval 'developmental psychologists' were the product of changing material and demographic circumstances. It represents a unique attempt to compare Jewish and Christian sources, exploits previously unexamined materials, and for the first time attempts to link changes in attitudes toward the various stages of life to contemporary demographic, economic and social development. Contents: Introduction-Study of Life Cycle in the Late Middle Ages; Prolegomena to the Sources; Common Themes of Life Cycle Theory; Infancy and Childhood; Adolescence; The Sexual Strains of Late Adolescence and Early Adulthood; and Adulthood and Old Age.

226 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 1989