Richard Newhauser examines here aspects of the moral tradition of medieval thought, specifically the construction of the seven deadly sins, their offspring, and related schematizations of immorality in the Latin West. The first section looks at the contexts in which the seven deadly sins (or nine accessory sins) are found in medieval Latin, English

Richard Newhauser is Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Trinity University, Texas, USA.

Contents: Introduction. Part 1 Contexts: On ambiguity in moral theology: when the vices masquerade as virtues; The treatise on vices and virtues as a medieval genre and its structural foundations in the Classical tradition; Alle sunde hant vnterschidunge: Der Tugend- und Lastertraktat als literarische Gattung im Mittelalter; The Parson's Tale and its generic affiliations; From treatise to sermon: Johannes Herolt on the novem peccata aliena; A la redécouverte de Willem Jordaens. Part 2 Avarice: The love of money as deadly sin and deadly disease; Towards modus in habendo: transformations in the idea of avarice.The early penitentials through the Carolingian reforms; Avarice and the Apocalypse; Avaritia und Paupertas: zur Stellung der frÿhen Franziskaner in der Geschichte der Habsucht; The meaning of Gawain's greed; Patristic Poggio? The evidence of Györ, Egyházmegyei Könyvtár MS. I.4. Part 3 Curiosity: Towards a history of human curiosity: a prolegomenon to its medieval phase; Augustinian vitium curiositatis and its reception; The sin of curiosity and the Cistercians. Addenda and corrigenda; Index.