The politics of carnival : festive misrule in medieval England
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The politics of carnival : festive misrule in medieval England
(Manchester medieval studies)
Manchester University Press, c2001
- : hbk
- : pbk
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Note
Bibliography: p. 101-110
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: hbk ISBN 9780719056024
Description
Medieval festivals such as carnival and misrule, were occasions which created a temporary and dynamic upside-down world of boy-bishops and Christmas kings. And yet, despite the extraordinary nature of these practices, much of the scholarly literature has taken a pessimistic view of their cultural meaning, claiming that they functioned as a safety-valve to dissipate the frustrations of subordinate groups. This study argues that in order to appreciate the part which these customs played in social and political change, a more creative and open-ended framework for examining the historical evidence is needed. Far from being just an ineffectual explosion of popular resentment, the author shows that these festival occasions were in practice highly diverse, and discusses how they were able to articulate and negotiate a range of meanings and values.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- A note on the text and abbreviations Introduction: The politics of camival
- 1. Social protest or safety valve? Critical approaches to festive misrule
- 2. A new approach to the study of medieval misrule
- 3. Seasonal drama and local politics in Norwich, 1443
- 4. Summer games at Coventry in 1480
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780719056031
Description
In recent years there has been a surge of interest in popular medieval festivals such as carnival and misrule, occasions which created a temporary and dynamic upside-down world of boy-bishops and Christmas kings. And yet, despite the extraordinary nature of these practices, much of the scholarly literature has taken a pessimistic view of their cultural meaning, claiming that they functioned as a "safety-valve" to dissipate the frustrations of subordinate groups. This study of the role of misrule in medieval England argues that in order to appreciate the part which these customs played in social and political change, a more creative and open-ended framework for examining the historical evidence is needed. Far from being just an ineffectual explosion of popular resentment, the author shows that these festival occasions were in practice highly diverse, and discusses how they were able to articulate and negotiate a range of meanings and values. This book should also be keenly debated in literary theory, cultural studies, anthropology and social history.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- A note on the text and abbreviations Introduction: The politics of camival
- 1. Social protest or safety valve? Critical approaches to festive misrule
- 2. A new approach to the study of medieval misrule
- 3. Seasonal drama and local politics in Norwich, 1443
- 4. Summer games at Coventry in 1480
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
by "Nielsen BookData"