Publisher Description

Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2008A Cultural History of Animals in the Medieval Age investigates the changing roles of animals in medieval culture, economy and society in the period 1000 to 1400. The period saw significant changes in scientific and philosophical approaches to animals as well as their representation in art.Animals were omnipresent in medieval everyday life. They had enormous importance for medieval agriculture and trade and were also hunted for food and used in popular entertainments. At the same time, animals were kept as pets and used to display their owner's status, whilst medieval religion attributed complex symbolic meanings to animals.A Cultural History of Animals in the Medieval Age presents an overview of the period and continues with essays on the position of animals in contemporary symbolism, hunting, domestication, sports and entertainment, science, philosophy, and art.

Author Biography

Brigitte Resl is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Liverpool and is author of Understanding Animals, 1150-1350 and co-author of Writing Nature in the Early Middle Age.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Animals in the Middle AgesBrigitte Resl, University of Liverpool1. Animals in Medieval Folklore and ReligionSophie Page, University College London2. Medieval HuntingAn Smets, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Baudouin van den Abeele, Université Catholique de Louvain3. DomesticationEsther Pascua, University of St. Andrews4. Animals in Medieval Sports, Entertainments, and MenageriesLisa Kiser, Ohio State University5. Animals in Medieval SciencePieter Beullens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven6. Philosophical BeliefsPieter De Leemans, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Matthew Klemm, John Hopkins University7. Animals in Art in the Middle AgesBrigitte Resl, University of LiverpoolNotesBibliographyIndex

Review

The Cultural History of Animals presents an innovative and compelling introduction to current scholarship about the historical relationships between people and other animals. * Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, M.I.T. *
An innovative and ambitious project that synthesizes knowledge of animals as living creatures and their symbolic representations... an invaluable contribution to our understanding... A combination of surprise and entertainment with serious research gives these volumes a place in the best tradition of accessible science. * Bernd Hüppauf, New York University for H-Soz-u-Kult *
High quality editing, clear writing, and abundant visual illustrations ... These volumes will be basic to future scholarship dealing with animals and society. Essential. * Choice *

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A Cultural History of Animals in the Medieval Age investigates the changing roles of animals in medieval culture, economy and society in the period 1000 to 1400.

Review Quote

The Cultural History of Animals presents an innovative and compelling introduction to current scholarship about the historical relationships between people and other animals.

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