Medievalisms Making the Past in the Present

From King Arthur and Robin Hood, through to video games and jousting-themed restaurants, medieval culture continues to surround us and has retained a strong influence on literature and culture throughout the ages. This fascinating and illuminating guide is written by two of the leading contemporary scholars of medieval literature, and explores: The influence of medieval cultural concepts on literature and film, including key authors such as Shakespeare, Tennyson, and Mark Twain The continued appeal of medieval cultural figures such as Dante, King Arthur, and Robin Hood The influence of the medieval on such varied disciplines such as politics, music, children’s literature, and art. Contemporary efforts to relive the Middle Ages. Medievalisms: Making the Past in the Present surveys the critical field and sets the boundaries for future study, providing an essential background for literary study from the medieval period through to the twenty-first century.

1. Medievalisms: The Magic of the Middle Ages 2. A Case Study of Dante: Naked Icons of Medievalism 3. Literary Medievalisms: Inventing Inspirations 4. "Medieval" Literature for Children and Young Adults: Fantasies of Innocence 5. King Arthur’s and Robin Hood’s Adventures in Medievalism: Mythic Masculinities (and Magical Femininities) 6. Movie Medievalisms: Five (or Six) Ways of Looking at an Anachronism 7. Medievalisms in Music and the Arts: Longing for Transcendence 8. Experiential Medievalisms: Reliving the Always Modern Middle Ages 9. Political Medievalisms: The Darkness of the Dark Ages

Tison Pugh is Professor of English at the University of Central Florida, USA. Angela Jane Weisl is Professor of English at Seton Hall University, USA.