Medieval Obscenities

Obscenity is central to an understanding of medieval culture, and it is here examined in a number of different media.Obscenity is, if nothing else, controversial. Its definition, consumption and regulation fire debate about the very meaning of art and culture, law, politics and ideology. And it is often, erroneously, assumed to be synonymous with modernity. Medieval Obscenities examines the complex and contentious role of the obscene - what is offensive, indecent or morally repugnant - in medieval culture from late antiquity through to the end of the Middle Ages in western Europe. Its approach is multidisciplinary, its methodologies divergent and it seeks to formulate questions and stimulate debate. The essays examine topics as diverse as Norse defecation taboos, the Anglo-Saxon sexual idiom, sheela-na-gigs, impotence in the church courts, bare ecclesiastical bottoms, rude sounds and dirty words, as well as the modern reception and representation of the medieval obscene. They demonstrate not only the vitality of medieval obscenity, but its centrality to our understanding of the Middle Ages and ourselves. Contributors: MICHAEL CAMILLE, GLENN DAVIS, EMMA DILLON, SIMON GAUNT, JEREMY GOLDBERG, EAMONN KELLY, CAROLYNE LARRINGTON, NICOLAMCDONALD, ALASTAIR MINNIS, DANUTA SHANZER

Especially welcome for its range of theoretical perspectives on what remains a tricky subject., Very fine case studies...we get smart new perspectives on medieval art, architecture, literature, language and law, as well as on sex, bodily functions and the establishment and subversion of norms., Demonstrate[s] beyond doubt that the middle ages had a sophisticated awareness of the obscene.

CAROLYNE LARRINGTON is Professor of Medieval European Literature at Oxford University and Official Fellow in Medieval English Literature at St John's College, Oxford.