Leclercq on Monastic Culture: Contents and Preface

Love of Learning and Desire for God, a study of monastic culture by Dom Jean Leclercq, is divided into three main sections, totalling ten chapters, an introduction, and an epilogue.   The introduction is called Learning and Spirituality; the Epilogue is called Literature and the Mystical Life.  The sections are on:   the formation, the sources, and the fruits of monastic culture.

The first section, on formation of monastic culture, traces some of the early history of monasticism.   He starts with the conversion of St Benedict, then moves to Pope St Gregory the Great, then briefly discusses some of the figures of what is called the Carolingian Renaissance.  

The second section is on sources of monastic culture.  These are listed as:  devotion to heaven, sacred learning, ancient traditional spirituality, and liberal studies.

The third section, on the fruits of monastic culture, discusses:  literary genres used by monastics, monastic theology, and the "poem of the liturgy."

Here are some notes on Jean Leclercq's brief preface. .. basically a summary and paraphrase.  It is worth going into a bit of detail because he explains his intentions for the book, what he means it to be and does not mean it to be. 

1.  This book began life as a series of lectures to young monks.   It contains generalizations inevitable in a comprehensive work, and is not targeted to a scholarly audience already well informed in this field.
2. It is not a synthesis, which would be premature. nor a bibliography.   His purpose is to draw attention to subjects that warrant further investigation, though he will suggest partial and provisional solutions at times.   His sources are written documents of doctrinal or spiritual character, excluding works on geography and science and the like, which in any case were less common.   He rarely will cite a source later than the early 13th century.
3. He has made many simplifications and generalizations that would call for supporting arguments, shading, further definitions that are sometimes available in other books.   He mentions several authors that have done much work in medieval studies but says there hasn't been a book written on this specific topic, pulling together and summarizing materials that haven't been considered together before.
4. Does monastic culture have its own identifying characteristics?  What are they?  It is difficult to decide, and might look different from inside and outside the monastery walls.   
5. All that is available from this past time are pictures and writings.  Does that mean the truth can not be known at this current date?    He acknowledges the limits but even with possible distortions and even falsifications, he thinks we can get a sense at least of what monastics aspired to.  He says his purpose is "less to pass judgment than to understand."    The picture built up is at least of the monastics' true self, the self they wanted to be.