Course 2—Lecture - 3

How the Novel Got Its Groove

Medieval writing, after the fall of the Roman Empire, was confined to the church. It existed solely to further the aims of Christianity. (Think of St. Augustine's Confessions or The City of God.)

The Middle Ages eventually saw the rise of a new art form—the medieval romance. Romances are long meandering tales of knights and high-born ladies, populated with threatening beasts and supernatural beings.