The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism PDF
Preview The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism
PaulB.SturtevantisanaudienceresearchspecialistattheSmithsonian InstitutioninWashington,DC.HecompletedhisPhDattheInstitutefor Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds. He is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the very popular collaborative history web-magazine ‘ThePublic Medievalist’(http://www.publicmedievalist.com/). ‘Traditionalmedievalistshaveonlyscratchedthesurfaceofthebroadand influential cultural phenomenon of medievalism. Paul Sturtevant’s case study, instead of asking questions mainly important to professional historians, harnesses social-sciences theories and methodologies to help us comprehend how and why groups and individuals engage with representations of medieval culture around them. His book is an essential step towards providing scientifically valid information about the public’s understanding of the medieval past.’ Richard Utz, Chair & Professor, School of Literature, Media and Communication, Georgia Institute of Technology ‘Carefully researched and written in a lively and engaging style, this bookisamust-readforanyoneinterestedintheuse – andabuse – ofthe medieval past in contemporary popular culture. Sturtevant skilfully integrates cutting-edge qualitative methods for studying audience reception with insights from culturally informed medievalism studies. This book demonstrates not only the broad significance of “the Middle Ages” for a wide public but also confronts its urgency in shaping present-day understandings of race, gender, religion, histories of violence,andgeopolitics.Chaptersexaminehowaudienceperceptionsof themedieval pastareinfluencedbyGame of Thrones andfantasyfiction, Arthurian myths, Crusade themes in video games and films, and the variedafterlivesofBeowulfandRobinHood.Thisbookisaninvaluable resourceforenthusiasts,educators,journalists,students,historians,and anyone who cares about what the medieval past means for us today.’ Jonathan Hsy, Associate Professor of English at George Washington University and blogger at In The Middle ‘TheMiddleAgesinPopularImaginationrevealsthepreconceptionstoday’s students have about the Middle Ages thanks to their representation in popularfilm.Sturtevanttakesafreshapproachtostudyingmedievalism inabookthatcrossesdisciplinaryboundariesandinterrogatesthedivide between academic and public medievalism.’ Amy Kaufman, Director of Conferences, International Society for the Study of Medievalism New Directions in Medieval Studies Serieseditors: AndrewElliott,UniversityofLincoln HelenYoung,UniversityofSydney Thiswide-rangingseriesrespondstoemergingthemesandinterdisciplinaryresearch methods in medieval scholarship, including the reception and reworking of the medievalin thepost-medieval period.Particular concerns involve cataloguing the richvarietyofexperienceofmedievalpeopleandexploringculturaltransferacross different periods, places and groups. These are expressed in the many scholarly themes highlighted below and, taken together, seek to contribute to the future directionsanddebatesofmedievalstudies. KEYTHEMES: † Medievallivesincludingmarginalvoices,variationanddissimilitude † CulturalexchangeandinterconnectednessacrossmedievalEurope † Thereceptionandre-useoftheMiddleAgesinlaterperiods † Re-evaluatingmedievalhistoryfromaglobalperspective Weparticularly welcomeproposalsfromscholars workinginthefollowing areas: † religiousandethnicminorities † genderandqueerhistory † emotionalcommunities † postcolonialperspectives † travel,tradeandmigration † work that extends reception of the Middle Ages beyond the predominantly Britishperspectivesofpublishedworktodate † digitalandnewmediareceptions † workrespondingtotheideaofan‘ethicalturn’ Forfurtherinformation,ortosubmitaproposal,pleasecontact: [email protected] THE MIDDLE AGES IN POPULAR IMAGINATION Memory, Film and Medievalism P B. S AUL TURTEVANT BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2018 by I.B. Tauris & Co. Paperback edition first published 2019 by Bloomsbury Academic Copyright © Paul B. Sturtevant, 2018 Paul B. Sturtevant has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on p. xv constitute an extension of this copyright page. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN: HB: 978-1-7883-1139-7 PB: 978-1-3501-2490-5 ePDF: 978-1-7867-3357-3 ePub: 978-1-7867-2357-4 Series: New Directions in Medieval Studies 1 Typeset by OKS Prepress Services, Chennai, India To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters For Betty, who has seen this through from its very beginning.
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