Wolves and the Wilderness in the Middle Ages

Aleksander Pluskowski

ISBN 10: 1843832364 / ISBN 13: 9781843832362

Edité par Boydell and Brewer Ltd, GB, 2006

The complex attitude to the wolf in the Middle Ages re-evaluated, bringing together historical and other evidence.The wolf, a common metaphor for vice in medieval Christian literature, is today an iconic symbol of the intense fear and insecurity that some associate with the middle ages. In reality, responses to wolves varied across medieval Europe. Although not dependent on the wilderness, wolves were conceptually linked to this environment - which although on the fringes of medieval society, became increasingly exploited from the eighth to fourteenth centuries, so bringing people and livestock closer to the wolf. This book compares responses to wolves, focusing on two regions, Britain and southern Scandinavia. It looks at the distribution of wolves in the landscape, their potential impact as predators on both animals and people, and their use as commodities, in literature, art, cosmology and identity. It also investigates the reasons (both practical and cultural) for the eradication of wolves in England, but their survival on the Scandinavian peninsula. ALEKSANDER PLUSKOWSKI is Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, N° de réf. du vendeur LU-9781843832362

Synopsis :

The wolf, a common metaphor for vice in medieval Christian literature, is today an iconic symbol of the intense fear and insecurity that some associate with the middle ages. In reality, responses to wolves varied across medieval Europe. Although not dependent on the wilderness, wolves were conceptually linked to this environment - which although on the fringes of medieval society, became increasingly exploited from the eighth to fourteenth centuries, so bringing people and livestock closer to the wolf. This book compares responses to wolves, focusing on two regions, Britain and southern Scandinavia. It looks at the distribution of wolves in the landscape, their potential impact as predators on both animals and people, and their use as commodities, in literature, art, cosmology and identity. It also investigates the reasons (both practical and cultural) for the eradication of wolves in England, but their survival on the Scandinavian peninsula. ALEKSANDER PLUSKOWSKI is Junior Research Fellow in Medieval Archaeology, Clare College, Cambridge

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Wolves and the Wilderness in the Middle Ages
Éditeur : Boydell and Brewer Ltd, GB
Date d'édition : 2006
Reliure : Hardback
Etat : New