Taking note of a ‘wondrous time’

Johannes Rütiner's 'Commentationes' notebooks offer a unique, unfiltered glimpse into 16th-century St Gall, revealing the town's social dynamics and resistance to conventional historical chronicles. Unlike traditional records, these Latin writings lack chronological order, contain candid critiques of St Gall's elite—including Rütiner's friends—and were intended as private memory aids rather than public histories. The study reconstructs Rütiner's education and career while situating his work within the broader trend of Reformation-era chronicling in St Gall, highlighting its distinctive features that defy conventional categorization.

Roth, C. (2022). Taking note of a ‘wondrous time’. The Talk of the Town, 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192846457.003.0002