The Babees Book Literary Elements

Historical Compilation: The Babees' Book is an academic compilation of "divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen" from the Middle Ages. Didactic Literature: The original texts are "courtesy books," intended to instruct young people in proper manners, moral values, and social conduct. Academic Non-Fiction: Furnivall collected and presented these historical documents to offer insight into medieval English life, making the overall work an academic and historical text.

Setting: Medieval England, primarily within courtly or aristocratic households where young "babees" (children or young adults) would serve as pages or attendants to lords and ladies. Context: Manners were a serious indicator of social standing, breeding, and moral character. The texts provide a vivid picture of domestic life and the expectations of the Middle Ages.

Narrator of original texts: Written in a third-person, instructional voice, the anonymous authors speak directly to young readers, providing guidance on proper conduct.

Narrator of the compilation: Furnivall serves as the editor and scholarly voice, curating historical content for a modern audience.

Didactic: The tone is instructive and moralizing, aimed at shaping the character and demeanor of medieval youth.

Informative and Historical: Furnivall's editorial voice is academic and provides context for the texts.

Quaint and Charming: For modern readers, the content appears quaint or charming, offering a fascinating historical perspective on table manners and social etiquette.

There are no protagonists or antagonists. The work is didactic, focusing on guidance rather than character-driven conflict.

There is no central conflict. The text aims to instruct and guide rather than tell a dramatic story.

There is no climax. The text aims to instruct and guide rather than tell a dramatic story.

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The courtesy books may reference biblical figures, classical mythology, or chivalric literature familiar to medieval youth of noble households.

The book uses clear, simple imagery to convey lessons about physical actions and social settings.

Example: Rules about table manners paint a picture of acts to avoid, such as picking one's teeth with a knife.

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Parallelism is heavily used in instructions, listing similar behaviors or rules in a structured, rhythmic way to emphasize proper conduct.

Example: "Do not spit... Do not wipe your nose..."

These appear subtly, referring to "the court" when speaking of the king or household, or using specific parts of a person's behavior to represent their overall character.

Example: "Your hands" representing all actions, or "the table" representing the entire dining occasion.

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