Sodomy, Masculinity and Law in Medieval Literature: France and England, 1050-1230 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature) [Hardcover]

William E. Burgwinkle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0521839688 | ISBN-13: 978-0521839686

Shedding new light on the representations of masculinity and same-sex desire in medieval literature, William Burgwinkle offers a historical survey of attitudes towards same-sex love during the Middle Ages. His studies of a wide range of texts reveal that medieval attitudes towards sexual preferences were much broader than usually conceded. Although most texts of the period denounced sodomy, Burgwinkle reveals how some also endorsed it, however inadvertently.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This elegantly understated tour de force is lucid, accessible, and appealing. It should speak to a variety of readerships, all of them fit, even if some of them are few: scholars of medieval romance, of Old French and Anglo-Norman, of the Latin prosimetrum and the so-called School of Chartres, and of the twelfth century generally and that sudden profusion in nearly ever form of cultural expression often misleadingly called the twelfth-century Renaissance." - Larry Scanlon, Rutgers University

"warmly recommended" - Norris J. Lacey, Pennsylvania State University

"the author provides a well-rounded look at sodomy, masculinity, and law, not to mention marriage, femininity, knighthood, courtly love, and romance in medieval English and French literature." - Dana Polanichka, History, UCLA

"William Burgwinkle deserves immense credit for crafting a throughly grounded and critically refreshing argument about homophobic rhetoric and how it attempts to police the borders of gendered norms."
Adam Miyashiro, Comparative Literature Studies

Book Description

This book offers a historical survey of attitudes towards same-sex love during the centuries that gave us the Plantagenet court of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, courtly love, and Arthurian lore. Though mosts texts of the period denounce sodomy, this book shows how some also endorse it, however inadvertently.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521839688
• ISBN-13: 978-0521839686
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,652,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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