-PDF Download- The Middle Ages In The Modern World EBOOK

The Middle Ages in the Modern World

Author: Bettina Bildhauer

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2017-08-10

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 9780197266144

The Middle Ages continue to provide an important touchstone for the way the modern West presents itself and its relationship with the rest of the globe. This volume brings together leading scholars of literature and history, together with musicians, novelists, librarians, and museum curators in order to present exciting, up-to-date perspectives on how and why the Middle Ages continue to matter in the 20th and 21st centuries. Presented here, their essays represent a unique dialogue between scholars and practitioners of 'medievalism'. Framed by an introductory essay on the broad history of the continuing evolution of the idea of 'The Middle Ages' from the 14th century to the present day, chapters deal with subjects as diverse as: the use of Old Norse sagas by Republican deniers of climate change; the way figures like the Irish hero Cu Chulainn and St Patrick were used to give legitimacy to political affiliations during the Ulster 'Troubles'; the use of the Middle Ages in films by Pasolini and Tarantino; the adoption of the 'Green Man' motif in popular culture; Lady Gaga's manipulation of medieval iconography in her music videos; the translation of medieval poetry from manuscript to digital media; and the problem of writing national history free from the 'toxic medievalism' of the 19th and 20th centuries. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the Middle Ages and its impact on recent political and cultural history. It is dedicated to the memory of Seamus Heaney, who gave his last overseas lecture in St. Andrews in 2013, the year this book was conceived, and whose late poetry this book also discusses.

Chess in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age

Author: Daniel E. O'Sullivan

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2012-07-30

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 3110288818

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The game of chess was wildly popular in the Middle Ages, so much so that it became an important thought paradigm for thinkers and writers who utilized its vocabulary and imagery for commentaries on war, politics, love, and the social order. In this collection of essays, scholars investigate chess texts from numerous traditions – English, French, German, Latin, Persian, Spanish, Swedish, and Catalan – and argue that knowledge of chess is essential to understanding medieval culture. Such knowledge, however, cannot rely on the modern game, for today’s rules were not developed until the late fifteenth century. Only through familiarity with earlier incarnations of the game can one fully appreciate the full import of chess to medieval society. The careful scholarship contained in this volume provides not only insight into the significance of chess in medieval European culture but also opens up avenues of inquiry for future work in this rich field.

Between the Middle Ages and Modernity

Author: Charles H. Parker

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 9780742553101

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This groundbreaking book examines the complex relationships between individuals and communities in the profound transitions of the early modern period. Taking a global and comparative approach to historical issues, the distinguished contributors show that individual and community created and recreated one another in the major structures, interactions, and transitions of early modern times. Offering an important contribution to our understanding both of the early modern period and of its historiography, this volume will be an invaluable resource for scholars working in the fields of medieval, early modern, and modern history, and on the Renaissance and Reformation.

Pleasure and Leisure in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age

Author: Albrecht Classen

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-08-05

Total Pages: 764

ISBN-13: 3110623072

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Jan Huizinga and Roger Caillois have already taught us to realize how important games and play have been for pre-modern civilization. Recent research has begun to acknowledge the fundamental importance of these aspects in cultural, religious, philosophical, and literary terms. This volume expands on the traditional approach still very much focused on the materiality of game (toys, cards, dice, falcons, dolls, etc.) and acknowledges that game constituted also a form of coming to terms with human existence in an unstable and volatile world determined by universal randomness and fortune. Whether considering blessings or horse fighting, falconry or card games, playing with dice or dolls, we can gain a much deeper understanding of medieval and early modern society when we consider how people pursued pleasure and how they structured their leisure time. The contributions examine a wide gamut of approaches to pleasure, considering health issues, eroticism, tournaments, playing music, reading and listening, drinking alcohol, gambling and throwing dice. This large issue was also relevant, of course, in non-Christian societies, and constitutes a critical concern both for the past and the present because we are all homines ludentes.

East Meets West in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times

Author: Albrecht Classen

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2013-09-03

Total Pages: 828

ISBN-13: 3110321513

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This new volume explores the surprisingly intense and complex relationships between East and West during the Middle Ages and the early modern world, combining a large number of critical studies representing such diverse fields as literary (German, French, Italian, English, Spanish, and Arabic) and other subdisciplines of history, religion, anthropology, and linguistics. The differences between Islam and Christianity erected strong barriers separating two global cultures, but, as this volume indicates, despite many attempts to 'Other' the opposing side, the premodern world experienced an astonishing degree of contacts, meetings, exchanges, and influences. Scientists, travelers, authors, medical researchers, chroniclers, diplomats, and merchants criss-crossed the East and the West, or studied the sources produced by the other culture for many different reasons. As much as the theoretical concept of 'Orientalism' has been useful in sensitizing us to the fundamental tensions and conflicts separating both worlds at least since the eighteenth century, the premodern world did not quite yet operate in such an ideological framework. Even though the Crusades had violently pitted Christians against Muslims, there were countless contacts and a palpitable curiosity on both sides both before, during, and after those religious warfares.

The Middle Ages in the Modern World

Author: Bettina Bildhauer

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9780191860027

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Incarceration and Slavery in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age

Author: Albrecht Classen

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-10-19

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 1793648298

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

People in the Middle Ages and the early modern age more often suffered from imprisonment and enslavement than we might have assumed. Incarceration and Slavery in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age approaches these topics from a wide variety of perspectives and demonstrates collectively the great relevance of the issues involved. Both incarceration and slavery were (and continue to be) most painful experiences, and no one was guaranteed exemption from it. High-ranking nobles and royalties were often the victims of imprisonment and, at times, had to wait many years until their ransom was paid. Similarly, slavery existed throughout Christian Europe and in the Arab world. However, while imprisonment occasionally proved to be the catalyst for major writings and creativity, slaves in the Ottoman empire and in Egypt succeeded in rising to the highest position in society (Janissaries, Mamluks, and others).

The New American Middle Ages

Author: Gini Graham Scott, PhD

Publisher:

Published: 2021-03-29

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 9781951805319

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Today, the United States is becoming more like the Middle Ages than ever, as the gap between the rich and poor grows, and the pandemic, economic crisis, and protests reflect this great divide. The superwealthy have become like a new royalty and nobility, while a class of impoverished, landless, and homeless individuals and families continues to expand. The poor are like the peasants of medieval Europe -- a development fueling the seeds of revolution today, much like the medieval peasant revolts. Through meticulous research, author Gini Graham Scott paints a stark portrait of this growing division in society, drawing parallels to the Middle Ages and showing how our present course is ripe for social and political upheaval. But then there is hope, since the Middle Ages were followed by a Renaissance, a time of rapid change and creative development. The chapters cover these topics: Inequality from Middle Ages to Modern Times Who Has the Money? Creating and Expanding the Kingdoms Battling for Control The World of Work The Power and Influence of the Military and Family The Lifestyles of the Superrich and Others: Then and Now The Growing Inequality Between Rich and Poor War, Revolution, Famine, and the Plague The Growing Crisis and What to Do Next What an American Renaissance Might Look Like

Mysteries of the Middle Ages

Author: Thomas Cahill

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2010-04-28

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 0307755142

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

From the national bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization—a fascinating look at how medieval thinkers created the origins of modern intellectual movements. “Intoxicating.... Cahill's command of rich historical detail makes medieval cities and their colorful characters come to alive.” —The Los Angeles Times After the long period of decline known as the Dark Ages, medieval Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today, from the entry of women into professions that had long been closed to them to the early investigations into alchemy that would form the basis of experimental science. On visits to the great cities of Europe-monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto-acclaimed historian Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.

Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age

Author: Albrecht Classen

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2012-10-30

Total Pages: 612

ISBN-13: 3110294583

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

All societies are constructed, based on specific rules, norms, and laws. Hence, all ethics and morality are predicated on perceived right or wrong behavior, and much of human culture proves to be the result of a larger discourse on vices and virtues, transgression and ideals, right and wrong. The topics covered in this volume, addressing fundamental concerns of the premodern world, deal with allegedly criminal, or simply wrong behavior which demanded punishment. Sometimes this affected whole groups of people, such as the innocently persecuted Jews, sometimes individuals, such as violent and evil princes. The issue at stake here embraces all of society since it can only survive if a general framework is observed that is based in some way on justice and peace. But literature and the visual arts provide many examples of open and public protests against wrongdoings, ill-conceived ideas and concepts, and stark crimes, such as theft, rape, and murder. In fact, poetic statements or paintings could carry significant potentials against those who deliberately transgressed moral and ethical norms, or who even targeted themselves.