What do you think?
Rate this book
Medieval Sexuality: A Casebook
Medieval A Casebook is a fascinating collection featuring both new and established experts in the field. The volume includes 11 original essays by Ross Balzaretti, Philip Crispin, Dominic Janes, Hugh Kennedy, A. Lynn Martin, Kim M. Phillips, Samantha J. E. Riches, Joyce E. Salisbury, David Santiuste, and the volume editors, April Harper and Caroline Proctor. The authors explore a variety of sources, contributing work on a diverse range of topics sources for sexuality in Late Lombard Italy; the problematic reception of early medieval penitentials by modern readers; sexuality as experienced by the desert fathers and mothers; connections between saints, monsters, and sexuality in medieval art and hagiography; the relationship between food, seduction, and adultery in the fabliaux ; sex, alcohol, and the late medieval stereotype of the unruly woman; sex as a medical and moral concern in medieval regimens of health; ideas of sexuality in political discourse; sex and scandal in festive drama; debates on sexual orientation in Arabic court literature; and pre-colonial descriptions of sexuality in the Far East. The volume concludes with a useful selection of further reading.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
244 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
46 people want to read
About the author
April Harper
4 books1 followerDr. April Harper is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Oneonta, New York, USA.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 21, 2024
Medieval Sexuality: A Casebook
Edited by April Harper and Caroline Proctor
Reviewed January 20, 2024
As part of my continuing research into the naughty side of medieval life, I bring you this review of Medieval Sexuality: A Casebook.
This book is a collection of essays, eleven in all, that cover a variety of subjects of a sexual nature. Authors include Ross Balzaretti, Philip Crispin, Dominic Janes, Hugh Kennedy, A. Lynn Martin, Kim M. Phillips, Samantha J. E. Riches, Joyce E. Salisbury, David Santiuste, and the editors.
Topics cover an assortment of subjects from sexuality in Late Lombard Italy; the reception of early medieval penitentials by modern readers; sexuality as experienced by the desert fathers and mothers; the connections between saints, monsters, and sexuality in medieval art and the biographies of saints; the relationship between food, seduction, and adultery in the fabliaux (comic tales by the jongleurs in northeast France written between c. 1150 and 1400 that are generally characterized by sexual and scatological obscenity); sex, alcohol, and the late medieval stereotype of the unruly woman; sex as a medical and moral concern in medieval regimens of health; ideas of sexuality in political discourse; sex and scandal in festive drama; debates on sexual orientation in Arabic court literature; and pre-colonial descriptions of sexuality in the Far East. The volume also includes a valuable selection of further reading for those who want to dig deeper into the subject.
Since my particular interest is in 15th century England and Richard III, my review is going to focus one essay – “Puttyng Downe and Rebuking Vices: Richard III and the Proclamation for the Reform of Morals” by David Santiuste. This essay looks at King Richard’s proclamations, which some have used as “proof” that he was either a prude, a religious zealot, a hypocrite, or a combination of all three. The truth, as is often the case with controversial historical persons, is more nuanced than many of Richard’s detractors would have us believe.
The proclamation was issued from Leicester on October 23, 1483, following what today is often referred to as the Buckingham Rebellion. In it, the proclamation denounces the rebel leaders on the basis of their alleged sexual behavior. Richard’s expressed concerns with personal morality have often been dismissed as little more than an attempt to manipulate public opinion. However, in looking deeper into similar proclamations, not just by Richard but by other English monarchs including his brother, Edward IV, Santiuste demonstrates that there is nothing unusual about Richard’s proclamations and in fact he was speaking a language derived from a common set of principles shared by the king and his subjects.
Richard’s detractors also point to his denunciation of the licentiousness of his brother and his courtiers, but Richard wasn’t the first to do this. Dominic Mancini and the Croyland Chronicler, neither of whom expressed a high opinion of Richard, bring out this same point in their writings, suggesting that there is more than a grain of truth behind these allegations.
Santiuste concludes that in the months following Edward IV’s death, Richard “was able to construct his own image of a just and Godly prince,” an image he “maintained throughout his short reign” and was “consistent with his professed concern for his subjects’ welfare (including those of lower status) and perhaps also with his religious beliefs.”
Overall, I found this book provided an interesting look into an often overlooked topic.
Edited by April Harper and Caroline Proctor
Reviewed January 20, 2024
As part of my continuing research into the naughty side of medieval life, I bring you this review of Medieval Sexuality: A Casebook.
This book is a collection of essays, eleven in all, that cover a variety of subjects of a sexual nature. Authors include Ross Balzaretti, Philip Crispin, Dominic Janes, Hugh Kennedy, A. Lynn Martin, Kim M. Phillips, Samantha J. E. Riches, Joyce E. Salisbury, David Santiuste, and the editors.
Topics cover an assortment of subjects from sexuality in Late Lombard Italy; the reception of early medieval penitentials by modern readers; sexuality as experienced by the desert fathers and mothers; the connections between saints, monsters, and sexuality in medieval art and the biographies of saints; the relationship between food, seduction, and adultery in the fabliaux (comic tales by the jongleurs in northeast France written between c. 1150 and 1400 that are generally characterized by sexual and scatological obscenity); sex, alcohol, and the late medieval stereotype of the unruly woman; sex as a medical and moral concern in medieval regimens of health; ideas of sexuality in political discourse; sex and scandal in festive drama; debates on sexual orientation in Arabic court literature; and pre-colonial descriptions of sexuality in the Far East. The volume also includes a valuable selection of further reading for those who want to dig deeper into the subject.
Since my particular interest is in 15th century England and Richard III, my review is going to focus one essay – “Puttyng Downe and Rebuking Vices: Richard III and the Proclamation for the Reform of Morals” by David Santiuste. This essay looks at King Richard’s proclamations, which some have used as “proof” that he was either a prude, a religious zealot, a hypocrite, or a combination of all three. The truth, as is often the case with controversial historical persons, is more nuanced than many of Richard’s detractors would have us believe.
The proclamation was issued from Leicester on October 23, 1483, following what today is often referred to as the Buckingham Rebellion. In it, the proclamation denounces the rebel leaders on the basis of their alleged sexual behavior. Richard’s expressed concerns with personal morality have often been dismissed as little more than an attempt to manipulate public opinion. However, in looking deeper into similar proclamations, not just by Richard but by other English monarchs including his brother, Edward IV, Santiuste demonstrates that there is nothing unusual about Richard’s proclamations and in fact he was speaking a language derived from a common set of principles shared by the king and his subjects.
Richard’s detractors also point to his denunciation of the licentiousness of his brother and his courtiers, but Richard wasn’t the first to do this. Dominic Mancini and the Croyland Chronicler, neither of whom expressed a high opinion of Richard, bring out this same point in their writings, suggesting that there is more than a grain of truth behind these allegations.
Santiuste concludes that in the months following Edward IV’s death, Richard “was able to construct his own image of a just and Godly prince,” an image he “maintained throughout his short reign” and was “consistent with his professed concern for his subjects’ welfare (including those of lower status) and perhaps also with his religious beliefs.”
Overall, I found this book provided an interesting look into an often overlooked topic.
Read
December 29, 2013More examples from literary texts will be useful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews