Pleasures and Pastimes in Medieval England [Paperback]

Compton Reeves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 1998

What was considered courteous table manner in Medieval England? Would children delight in playing hide-and-seek, follow-the-leader, and blind mans bluff? Harkening back to a time when men wore close-fitting bonnets tied under the chin and women adorned themselves with purses suspended from their belts with small daggers attached to the outside, Pleasures & Pastimes in Medieval England takes an enlightening look at how people from all classes of medieval society enjoyed themselves.
Despite presumptions to the contrary, the daily life of men and women in late medieval England was not entirely one of toil. Author Compton Reeves presents a fascinating and highly readable survey of the entertainments and pursuits with which people of the time filled their leisure hours. From the rough and tumble activities of wrestling and jousting to the more sedate pastimes of chess and cards, from gardening to prostitution, and from cock-fighting to religious festivals Reeves describes with entertaining detail activities which remain popular today, though often in different guises.
With its many beautifully reproduced illustrations, Pleasures & Pastimes in Medieval England offers a sumptuous overview of the delights of medieval life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A welcome addition to the history of medieval leisure, as a clear and accessible introduction to the subject and to the range of available source material."--Medieval Life

About the Author

Compton Reeves is Professor of History at Ohio University. His previous publications include Newport Lordship 1317-1536, Lancastrian Englishmen, and The Marcher Lords.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195214234
• ISBN-13: 978-0195214239
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific overview, July 16, 2005

By 

Santa Fean (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pleasures and Pastimes in Medieval England (Sutton Illustrated History Paperbacks) (Paperback)

This book is a rare gem. If you're interested in medieval social history - specifically the history of leisure activities - this book is a wonderful reference.

While many medieval history books touch on the subject of leisure activities, this book gives the topic the focus it deserves. It's packed with information on a huge range of subjects - art, music, fashion, games, hunting, pets, diet, courteous behavior, prostitution, etc. - and the author nicely blends general discussion with specific, primary-source accounts.

Additionally, it's filled with photos of objets d'art, misericords, and manuscript illustrations...and contains a long list of sources for further research.

While not exhaustive, this book is an impressive, encyclopedic overview of a subject given short shrift in the majority of medieval history books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice survey, good for beginners, but lacks depth, May 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Pleasures and Pastimes in Medieval England (Paperback)

This is a very accessible work on the "pleasures and pastimes" of medieval England. The author defines this term rather broadly, and includes not only such matters as games, hunts, drinking, poetry, pets, dancing, music, etc.-- but also clothes, architecture, and craftsmanshsip on the grounds that finely made clothes, armor, elaborate buildings, and well-crafted goods were a source of 'pleasure' to their owners and/or those who used them. Religion is also considered as a source of pleasure and pastime (pilgrimmages, feast days, etc.) The chapters are organized thematically, with one chapter on "literature", another on the plastic arts, another on "religion", etc. Each chapter is divided up into further thematic subsections (for example, breaking down crafts into goldsmithing, leather working, woodcarving, etc.) each of which is given a page or two.

Overall, the book's organization and function is that of a general survey. It provides only a cursory overview of a lot of different 'pleasures and pastimes' rather than an in-depth scholarly study that provides new knowledge or puts forth a new intepretation. These kinds of survey books have their uses, to be sure, but somehow, in reading this, I just I find myself feeling a bit like a rock being skipped over the surface of a deep pond. I guess I'd just liked the author to have gone a little bit deeper below the surface in some way. Perhaps he could have provided more concrete examples-- or even some counter examples. Perhaps he could have delved a bit more into how 'pleasures and pastimes' changed over time, or differed from region to region-- or maybe even among the different classes of society. Or perhaps he could have engaged a bit more with some of the historiographical contraversies surrounding this subject. Most of all, however, I wish the author had explored whether or not people in the Middle Ages had the same concepts of 'pleasure' and 'pastime' as we do or whether they viewed them in the same way, with the same set of values. (I suspect they probably did not.) All in all, I can't help but think that that there just isn't quite as much 'meat' to chew here as there ought to be.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Beginning, November 18, 2000

By 

Tryllyam "tryllyam" (snowy southeast ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pleasures and Pastimes in Medieval England (Paperback)

It's not often a student gets to review one of their teachers, but I get to do so with great delight. Pleasures and Pastimes is a wonderfully readable history of just what the later medieval English did for fun - and there's quite a bit.

If you're looking to do more indepth research on the subject, then this book may be a bit of a let-down. It is, however, a wonderful introduction to the topic, and a good starting point for those beginning to study medieval fun.

There's also a good bit of humor in the book, especially in some of the pictures' captions, including an illustration of a medieval beer bong! The book is a must have for those interested in English medieval history. (And no, I don't get extra credit for saying that!)