Written and Oral Culture: Oral Narratives, Administrative Texts, Vernacular Historiography in Southern Italy

Taking into account production of texts throughout the Kingdom, this essay analyses how oral and written cultures, spoken and written languages became superimposed in the lower-to-middle cultural ambiences of urban centres. In order to carry out this analysis, the essential differences and potential convergences between different kinds of texts have been explored. In particular cantari or lamenti, memoriali and chronicles, and, finally, administrative texts produced by the local town authorities.