Medieval hagiographical narratives were often used in the construction of identity, both institutional and individual, and also demonstrate the permeability of the supposed boundaries between communities such as Latinate and vernacular readers and religious and lay audiences. This introduction to the “Authors, Narratives, and Audiences in Medieval Saints’ Lives” Special Collection provides a brief overview of the role of saints’ lives in medieval literary culture and identifies some intersections between hagiographical writing and other areas of medieval life and literature.

中文翻译：

---

中世纪圣徒的生活特别收藏中的作者，叙事和听众介绍

中世纪的言语叙事经常被用于制度和个人身份的建构，也证明了拉丁语和白话读者以及宗教和非专业观众等社区之间假定边界的渗透性。这本“中世纪圣徒的生活中的作家，叙事和听众”特别介绍的简介简要概述了圣徒的生活在中世纪文学文化中的作用，并确定了传记写作与中世纪生活和文学其他领域之间的某些交集。