The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism
http://www.ibtauris.com/Books/Humanities/History/History-earliest-times-to-present-day/Early-history-c-500-to-c-14501500/Medieval-history/The-Middle-Ages-in-Popular-Imagination-Memory-Film-and-Medievalism
Paul Sturtevant
Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd.
Series: Library of Medieval Studies
Hardback | In Stock | £75.00
Hardback | Not Yet Published | $110.00
Hardback
ISBN: 9781788311397
Publication Date: 28 Feb 2018
Number of Pages: 336
Height: 216
Width: 138
Illustrations: 20 black and white integrated illustrations
Description:
It is often assumed that those outside of academia know
very little about the Middle Ages. But the truth is not so simple.
Non-specialists in fact learn a great deal from the myriad medievalisms -
post-medieval imaginings of the medieval world - that pervade our
everyday culture. These, like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones,
offer compelling, if not necessarily accurate, visions of the medieval
world. And more, they have an impact on the popular imagination,
particularly since there are new medievalisms constantly being
developed, synthesised and remade.
But what does the public really know? How do the conflicting medievalisms they consume contribute to their knowledge? And why is this important?
In this book, the first evidence-based exploration of the wider public's understanding of the Middle Ages, Paul B. Sturtevant adapts sociological methods to answer these important questions. Based on extensive focus groups, the book details the ways - both formal and informal - that people learn about the medieval past and the many other ways that this informs, and even distorts, our present. In the process, Sturtevant also sheds light, in more general terms, onto the ways non-specialists learn about the past, and why understanding this is so important. The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination will be of interest to anyone working on medieval studies, medievalism, memory studies, medieval film studies, informal learning or public history.
But what does the public really know? How do the conflicting medievalisms they consume contribute to their knowledge? And why is this important?
In this book, the first evidence-based exploration of the wider public's understanding of the Middle Ages, Paul B. Sturtevant adapts sociological methods to answer these important questions. Based on extensive focus groups, the book details the ways - both formal and informal - that people learn about the medieval past and the many other ways that this informs, and even distorts, our present. In the process, Sturtevant also sheds light, in more general terms, onto the ways non-specialists learn about the past, and why understanding this is so important. The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination will be of interest to anyone working on medieval studies, medievalism, memory studies, medieval film studies, informal learning or public history.
Author Info:
Paul B. Sturtevant is an audience research specialist at the Smithsonian
Institution, in Washington, DC. He completed his PhD at the Institute
for Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds. He is also the founder
and Editor-in-Chief of the very popular collaborative history blog 'The
Public Medievalist' (http://www.publicmedievalist.com/).
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