This book discusses attitudes toward the medieval new, refuting the traditional contention that newness was not a value cherished in the Middle Ages. According to Ingham, this failure to understand the medieval appreciation of novelty stems from the difference between medieval and modern significations of “old” and “new.” Whereas modern innovation most often, but not always, implicates a break from, and even a destruction of, tradition, repetition and innovation were closely related in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, Ingham shows that the medieval new was the source for various ethical discussions—the distinction between useful and whimsical cleverness, a sense of wonder tending toward understanding versus excessive or ‘blind’ curiosity, or innovation as opposed to error or fraud. The flexibility and ethical dynamics of the category of the new is thus crucial for how knowledge systems function, both in the Middle Ages and today.
Ingham discusses three key categories of newness. First,...