Introducing the Medieval Swan
Title | Introducing the Medieval Swan PDF eBook |
Author | Natalie J. Goodison |
Publisher | |
Pages | 184 |
Release | 2022-02-15 |
Genre | |
ISBN | 9781786838391 |
What comes to mind when we think of swans? Likely their beauty in domestic settings, their preserved status, their association with royalty, and possibly the phrase 'swan song'. This book explores the emergence of each of these ideas, starting with an examination of the medieval swan in natural history, exploring classical writings and their medieval interpretations.
Introducing the Medieval Swan
Title | Introducing the Medieval Swan PDF eBook |
Author | Natalie Jayne Goodison |
Publisher | University of Wales Press |
Pages | 224 |
Release | 2022-07-15 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1786838400 |
Birds have always been a popular and accessible subject, but most books about medieval birds are an overview of their symbolism generally: owl for ill-omen, the pelican as a Eucharistic image and the like. The unique selling point of this book is to focus on one bird and explore it in detail from medieval reality to artistic concept. This book also traces how and why the medieval perception of the swan shifted from hypocritical to courtly within the medieval period. With special attention to ‘The Knight of the Swan’, the book traces the rise and popularity of the medieval swan through literature, history, courtly practices, and art. The book uses thoroughly readable language to appeal to a wide audience and explains some of the reasons why the swan holds such resonance today by covering views of the swan from classic to early modern times.
Introducing the Medieval Dragon
Title | Introducing the Medieval Dragon PDF eBook |
Author | Thomas Honegger |
Publisher | University of Wales Press |
Pages | 147 |
Release | 2019-08-15 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1786834707 |
Arnold, Martin. 2018. The Dragon. Fear and Power. London: Reaktion Books. My book is much shorter and focusses on the medieval (European) dragon, while Martin’s book covers all centuries and also the Asian tradition.
Nature in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times
Title | Nature in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times PDF eBook |
Author | Albrecht Classen |
Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |
Pages | 606 |
Release | 2024-07-01 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 3111387631 |
The study of pre-modern anthropology requires the close examination of the relationship between nature and human society, which has been both precarious and threatening as well as productive, soothing, inviting, and pleasurable. Much depends on the specific circumstances, as the works by philosophers, theologians, poets, artists, and medical practitioners have regularly demonstrated. It would not be good enough, as previous scholarship has commonly done, to examine simply what the various writers or artists had to say about nature. While modern scientists consider just the hard-core data of the objective world, cultural historians and literary scholars endeavor to comprehend the deeper meaning of the concept of nature presented by countless writers and artists. Only when we have a good grasp of the interactions between people and their natural environment, are we in a position to identify and interpret mental structures, social and economic relationships, medical and scientific concepts of human health, and the messages about all existence as depicted in major art works. In light of the current conditions threatening to bring upon us a global crisis, it matters centrally to take into consideration pre-modern discourses on nature and its enormous powers to understand the topoi and tropes determining the concepts through which we perceive nature. Nature thus proves to be a force far beyond all human comprehensibility, being both material and spiritual depending on our critical approaches.
Arthurian Literature XXXIX
Title | Arthurian Literature XXXIX PDF eBook |
Author | Megan G Leitch |
Publisher | Boydell & Brewer |
Pages | 191 |
Release | 2024-06-04 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 1843847183 |
"Delivers fascinating material across genres, periods, and theoretical issues." TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT This volume is a special issue dedicated to Professor Elizabeth Archibald, who has had such an impact on, and made so many significant contributions to, the field of Arthurian Studies. It maintains its tradition of diverse approaches to the Arthurian tradition - albeit on this occasion with a particular focus on Malory, appropriately reflecting one of Professor Archibald's main interests. It starts with the essay awarded this year's D.S. Brewer Prize for a contribution by an early career scholar, which considers the little-known debt owed by early modern sailors to Arthurian knighthood and pageantry. The essays that follow begin with a wide-ranging account of manuscript decorations and annotations in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia, before turning to the Evil Custom trope in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Further contributions explore the formalities of requests and conditions in Malory's '"Tale of Gareth", emotional excess and magical transformation in several scenes across the Morte Darthur, tensions between public and private and self and identity in Malory's "Sankgreal", and friction between the (external and imposed) law and (internal and subjective but honourable) code of chivalry, especially apparent in Malory's final Tales. The last article examines the ways in which Mordred's origins in modern Arthurian fiction build on Malory's false, or forgotten, promise to relate Mordred's upbringing. The volume closes with a short tribute to Elizabeth Archibald, highlighting her leadership in the field and her encouragement of scholarly collaboration and community.
Title | PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | John Wiley & Sons |
Pages | 481 |
Release | |
Genre | |
ISBN |
An Introduction to Medieval History
Title | An Introduction to Medieval History PDF eBook |
Author | Dorothy Dymond |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
Pages | 181 |
Release | 2023-11-06 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1003824668 |
First Published in 1929 An Introduction to Medieval History presents a comprehensive overview of the social, political, and religious movements that inspired medieval civilization and still influence the civilization of our own day. It brings crucial themes like the heritage of Rome; church and the Empire; the peasant and his Lord; nations and kings; empire and papacy; the eastern empire and the Crusades; transition to modern times; decline of empire and papacy; decline of feudalism and development of trade; and towns and the Renaissance. This introductory book is useful for history students in secondary schools and training colleges and general readers interested to know about the medieval times.