Exempla in the Decline

Upon entering a cathedral, our eyes are drawn to the soaring pillars, the sweep of the ceiling, and the richly adorned windows. Yet we overlook many details which play an essential part in determining the finished product, for instance, the composition of the stone and the structure of the foundation. Likewise, as we turn to the era from which grew Augustine's Contessiones, Boethius' De consolatione philosophiae, and Wolfram's Parzival, we may easily overlook a humble type of illustrative story, which was a vital expression of the Christian faith, namely, the medieval exemplum. Accordingly, this paper proposes to indicate in briefest outline the fortunes of the exemplum, which, bound up as they are with the history of their time, clearly reflect significant developments in medieval religion.