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The History and Topography of Ireland
Gerald of Wales was among the most dynamic and fascinating churchmen of the twelfth century. A member of one of the leading Norman families involved in the invasion of Ireland, he first visited there in 1183 and later returned in the entourage of Henry II. The resulting "Topographia Hiberniae" is an extraordinary account of his travels. Here he describes landscap...more
Mass Market Paperbound, 136 pages
Published
March 31st 1983
by Penguin Books Limited
(first published 1188)
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The illustrated version of this short work is best with its pictures of Gallowglasses treacherously murdering each other with axe blows to the skull and the woman who calmed a lion by making love to it - and since the book was written by a Bishop this must be a true story!
The book is a listing & brief description of the geography, natural and miraculous wonders associated with Ireland. It's light, entertainingly bizarre and easy to read though less developed and in my opinion less i...more
The book is a listing & brief description of the geography, natural and miraculous wonders associated with Ireland. It's light, entertainingly bizarre and easy to read though less developed and in my opinion less i...more
Gerald of Wales was a Norman who came to Ireland with the Invaders. This account describes the landscape, fauna, and inhabitants of the island. However, Gerald had a vested interest in justifying the invasion so he painted the practices of the Irish as debased and perverse. So while it is a quite interesting read, take the information with several grains of salt! Also, make sure you get an edition that replicates the author's original illustrations.
An extremely entertaining look at medieval Ireland, written by a clergyman with a very low opinion of the Irish and their distasteful habits (irreverency, drunkenness, bad temper, heretical leanings, and a fondness for bestiality are among the many).
The joy of this book lies in the lively narrative, and its jumbled combination of folk tales, superstition, and earnest psuedo-science. The author scoffs at the idea that St. Patrick mystically drove the snakes from Ireland, and then fol...more
The joy of this book lies in the lively narrative, and its jumbled combination of folk tales, superstition, and earnest psuedo-science. The author scoffs at the idea that St. Patrick mystically drove the snakes from Ireland, and then fol...more
Megan Fitzgibbons
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The History and Topography of Ireland (Penguin Classics) by Gerald of Wales (1983)
Research for my writer's internal
Karl Steel
rated it
Recommends it for:
medievalists, collectors of the weird
Shelves:
medieval,
books_i_taught
With the benefit of Jeffrey Cohen's On Difficult Middles, I noticed something this time around that I hadn't before: the multiple 'origins' of the Irish Gerald records in the third book. It was the bestiality that first grabbed me, but it's the historiographical and ethnic anxiety that keeps me coming back for more.
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Gerald of Wales (c. 1146 – c. 1223), also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times. Born around 1146 at Manorbier Castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales, he was of mixed Norman and Welsh blood, his name being Gerald de Barri.
Gerald's writings in good quality Latin, based on a thorough knowledge o...more
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Gerald's writings in good quality Latin, based on a thorough knowledge o...more
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