Professor Graham Caie, Vice Principal of the University and noted English Language scholar, gave a lecture to the British Academy on Thursday 17 March.

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences and only the most respected authorities in their respective fields are given the opportunity to lecture to the Academy members.

The lecture, ‘The Middle Ages as a Mirror for Modernity’, addressed the notion that “the Middle Ages says as much about the present as it does about the past.” Professor Caie discussed how the medieval period has been consistently used and misused as a 'mirror' for the self-fashioning images of modernity, from the end of The Middle Ages to the present day, in issues ranging from the fine arts to the political response of the West to 9/11.

Alongside Dr Chris Jones from the University of St Andrew’s, Graham argued that, far from being culturally barren, the Dark or Middle Ages were vibrant and culturally exciting times that marked an important transition from post-Roman and Germanic influences to the romance culture of the Norman period and beyond. Due to the illiteracy of the majority of the population on Britain, a strong visual and aural culture developed, which included paintings, frescoes, sculpture, drama and music.

Professor Caie was appointed Professor of English Language in 1990, coming to Glasgow after working for 18 years in the University of Copenhagen. In 2008 he was appointed as the University’s Clerk of Senate.  During a long academic career he has edited several medieval texts and written extensively on topics such as Old English eschatology, Beowulf, medieval drama, Chaucer, manuscript studies and electronic editing.

First published: 17 March 2011

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