Medievalism and the Quest for the Real Middle Ages

Author	SIMMONS
Format	Hardcover
ISBN	9780714651453
Publisher	ROUTLEDGE
Manufacturer	Frank Cass Publishers

The term "Medievalism" refers to the later reception of the Middle Ages, which has been used by many writers as a means of commenting on their own societies and systems of values. The term has been used to distinguish between Medievalism, a selective, often romanticized, view of the past, and medieval studies, with its quest for an authentic Middle Ages. However, the search for knowledge of a "real" Middle Ages has always been a problematic one, and the vitality of the vision of Medievalism is demonstrated by its constant adaption to current concerns.

Medievalism, the later reception of the Middle Ages, has been used by many writers, not just during the Victorian period but from the Renaissance to the present, as a means of commenting on their own societies and systems of values. Until recently, this self-interest was used to distinguish between Medievalism, a selective, often romanticised, view of the past, and medieval studies, with its quest for an authentic Middle Ages. The essays in this collection suggest that the search for knowledge of a "real" Middle Ages has always been a problematic one, and that the vitality of the vision of Medievalism is demonstrated by its constant adaption to current concerns.