Abstract

This thesis centers on Theodulf of Orléans and the themes of love and food throughout his episcopal statutes and poetry. These two themes are connected to the larger Carolingian landscape, in which Theodulf interacts with society, culture, and religion. In covering these two themes, a more nuanced picture of Carolingian religion and society emerges, at least from the way Theodulf viewed the world around him. In considering these two themes, I further encourage the process of intertextual analysis as formulated by Rosamond McKitterick and M. A. Claussen. Furthermore, I argue that the general reforms of the Carolingian empire penetrated a variety of avenues than previously considered. In essence, I argue that the correctio, for Theodulf, was primarily motivated by his conceptions of love and the need to strengthen the communal bonds of love. As for food, Theodulf utilized this concept to disperse social and religious commentary in which the standards of the Carolingian court, religion, and society are further realized through this unconventional avenue. The impact of this study centers on how historians consider medieval authors, sources, and the Carolingian empire. As demonstrated throughout the study, if medieval authors are considered collectively then their individualistic nuance is often lost. This bleeds into the interpretation of sources, in which crossing genre lines in the medieval landscape leads to further refined pictures of the societies under study. Finally, in pursuing the themes of love and food, further inquiries into Theodulf are opened, alongside studies of other medieval authors in which historians have not wholly considered the author's entire corpus of work. Presently, outside of dissertations, there exists no English monograph centered on Theodulf alone, and while this thesis is by no means a book, it at least encourages further study of Theodulf.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2023

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Hardy, Duncan

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

History

Degree Program

History

Identifier

CFE0009805; DP0027913

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027913

Language

English

Release Date

August 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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