Parish priests, monks and farmers in the popular culture of Tuscany in XIII-XIV centuries

Abstract

The use of literary works such as the Novelle of the “Novellieri minori” (minor novelists) as a historical source is possible and also legitimate provided that the analysis is tackled by the historian with all the tools and caution necessary. The historian ought to have a profound understanding of the society to which the literary work belongs, without regarding the latter as the exclusive source of knowledge, but only as part of common action towards greater awareness. This article is focused on the role of parish priests, monks and peasant priests in the Tuscan countryside between Trecento and Quattrocento through the works of minor writers. The novelle are used as an expression of the authors’ mind, as a source which mirrors the way in which Sermini, Sercambi and Sacchetti perceived reality and the society, myths and fantasies of their time without forgetting an essential element, the fact that this works represent a mirror of the true reality.