Medieval Legends of Love & Lust

by Rosalind Kerven

Overview

* A UNIQUE collection of romantic stories from the 12th – 15th centuries. * Authentically and entertainingly retold from translations of the original, very lengthy and complex texts. * Almost thirty stories – both famous and little known – from England, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Wales. * Dramatic adventures in courtly love, mystical passion, bawdy and jocular tales, tragedy, scandal and feminist longing. * Written by a highly acclaimed expert in world legends * Essential reading for anyone interested in the popular thought and culture of the Middle Ages 'Rosalind Kerven, connoisseur of myths and folktales… has translated and condensed sprawling, beautiful but inaccessible original texts from the 12th to 15th centuries into concise, elegant tales. Capturing Christian, Muslim and folk influences at play in western Europe during this period, they celebrate romantic love at the same time as offering some salient points of comparison.' – THE INDEPENDENT DISCOVER: – The 12th century #MeToo scandal of Abelard & Heloise – Why a medieval feminist condemned the bestselling 'Romance of the Rose' – The secret heartache behind Dante’s seminal work, 'Divine Comedy' – Bawdy tales from Chaucer and Boccaccio – Why men were banned from the mysterious City of Ladies – How Queen Guinevere’s affair with Sir Lancelot brought down the legendary King Arthur – The tear-jerking twists and turns of Portuguese romantic epic, 'Amadis & Oriana' ................................................................................................................................................ "A fine collection of medieval stories…A great introduction to the whole area" – Professor Helen Cooper, University of Cambridge "A spicy collection... authentically and accessibly retold"  – The Bookseller ‘A well selected collection of accessible translations’ – Dr. Andrew Dunning, Curator of Medieval Manuscripts, Bodleian Libraries, Oxford

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781839781285
Publisher:	Talking Stone
Publication date:	01/04/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

ROSALIND KERVEN is an expert in world legends and historical stories, which she has been collecting and bringing back to life in books for thirty years. With an academic background in social anthropology, she has thousands of stories on file, from many different countries and cultures. Rosalind has written over seventy books, published in twenty-two countries, and her work has been highly acclaimed by reviewers and readers. She has worked for publishers such as the British Museum, British Library, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, the National Trust, DK and Batsford, as well as her own small imprint, Talking Stone.   Some reviews of her work: "The stories are short and lively…There is a strong focus on character and dialogue" – TLS "Rosalind Kerven's selection and retelling is very good… Her copious notes draw the reader into a world of other stories, and whets the appetite to read and listen further."  – Folklore "fascinating collection…I recommend it without reservation; the scholarship is excellent." – Grammarye She has presented several papers to the Folklore Society, written articles on traditional stories for 'Gramarye' and folklorethursday.com, and contributed to both live and online events at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. Her website is workingwithmythsandfairytales.blogspot.com Follow her on Twitter at @MythsandTales