The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism

320 Pages·2019·14.15 MB·English

by  Paul B. Sturtevant

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
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First published 2018 by I.B. Tauris & Co.
Paperback edition first published 2019 by Bloomsbury Academic
Copyright © Paul B. Sturtevant, 2018
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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
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For Betty, who has seen this through from its very beginning.