famous picture representing her is that by Raphael,[1] who painted the virgin saint with visionary eyes and her well-known symbol, the wheel. The legend of St. Catherine must have been the work of some one living outside court circles, where Italian taste was prevalent, and yet of some one in touch with the Renaissance, for the plan and treatment of the work show the influence of the new spirit. Literary works of the Middle Ages, with the exception of a few real master pieces, lack plan, and are frequently obscure in parts because they are wanting in logical order and in proportion. It was one result of the revived interest in the Latin writers that logical method and clearness came to be essential in literature. The Romans were preeminently gifted with the capacity for organisation, and they brought that power into play in their literary activity; their works became a standard of literary excellence and their methods became rules for their Renaissance admirers.
In the legend of St. Catherine we notice subjective features; behind the facts, we detect the springs from which they flow. In that respect also the author of the poem is typical of the age in which he lived, an age which had learnt to place a new value upon the individual.
- ↑ The picture is in the National Gallery in London.
