René Wetzel

My research

I examine medieval texts within their historical contexts, often beginning with their materiality – for example, their transmission in manuscripts and their continued existence in wall paintings and works of art. This approach reveals a great deal about the ways in which the texts were used and their functions, as well as about how literature was engaged with. I also regard these texts as important testimonies and media of medieval thought, cognitive processes and cultural – indeed, spiritual – practices and experiences.