The legend of the Frankish emperor Charlemagne is widespread through the literature of the European Middle Ages. This book offers a detailed and critical analysis of how this myth emerged and developed in medieval German and Dutchliteratures, bringing to light the vast array of narratives either idealizing, if not glorifying, Charlemagne as a political and religious leader, or, at times, criticizing or even ridiculing him as a pompous and ineffectual ruler. The motif is traced from its ear...

By pursuing an ecocritical reading, The Forest in Medieval German Literature examines passages in medieval German texts where protagonists operated in the forest and found themselves either in conflictual situations or in refuge. By probing the way the individual authors dealt with the forest, illustrating how their characters fared in this sylvan space, the role of the forest proved to be of supreme importance in understanding the fundamental relationship between humans and nature. The me...

Criticism of the Court and the Evil King in the Middle Ages: Literary-Historical Analyses, identifies and discusses the discourse focused on the criticism of the court, specifically of the king, across medieval Europe. Tracing its development from the tenth through the fifteenth centuries, chapters examine Icelandic sagas, Old Spanish heroic epic poetry, courtly romances, early modern French and German prose novels, and late medieval short verse and prose narratives as well as the...

This book brings together, in a modern English translation, a selection of relevant medieval texts that are determined by wisdom. Mostly hidden in a literary framework, the messages contained in these excerpts prove to be highly valuable for all people throughout time, addressing ethical, moral, and religious values and ideals. Critical discussions of the meaning of wisdom frame the text anthology.

The computer revolution is upon us. The future of books and of reading are debated. Will there be books in the next millennium? Will we still be reading? As uncertain as the answers to these questions might be, as clear is the message about the value of the book expressed by medieval writers. The contributors to the volume The Book**and the Magic of Reading in the Middle Ages explore the significance of the written document as the key icon of a whole era. Both philosophers and art...

Viele träumen von Hawai'i, dem 50. Staat der USA. In der Werbung gibt es viele beeindruckende Bilder von diesen Inseln, aber nur wenn man dort länger lebt und mit der Kamera genauer hinschaut, und dazu auch noch Lyrik in der Gattung der Haiku verfasst, kommt uns diese subtropische Welt näher. Klar, da sind die schönen Strände, aber oftmals säumen raue Basaltgesteine die Küste. Ein näherer Blick auf die Blumen, die Früchte, die Bäume oder Steine vermittelt auf einmal einen ganz anderen Eind...

More than ever before do we need the critical engagement with religious tolerance. Historical perspectives allow us to gain access to the discourse on this universal, often very contested topic. Already the Middle Ages and the early modern age witnessed the emergence of significant voices addressing toleration, if not even tolerance. This anthology opens many new perspectives toward this centrally important topic, adding a cultural-historical, religious, literary, and philosophical dimensi...

Ecocritical thinking has sensitized us more than ever before to the tremendous importance of water for human life, as it is richly reflected in the world of literature. The great relevance of water also in the Middle Ages might come as a surprise for many readers, but the evidence assembled here confirms that also medieval poets were keenly aware of the importance of water to sustain all life, to provide understanding of life’s secrets, to mirror love, and to connect the individual with Go...

The history of the United States has been deeply determined by Germans throughout time, but hardly anyone has noticed that this was the case in the Southwest as well, known as Arizona/Sonora today, in the eighteenth century as Pimería Alta. This was the area where the Jesuits operated all by themselves, and many of them, at least since the 1730s, originated from the Holy Roman Empire, hence were identified as Germans (including Swiss, Austrians, Bohemians, Croats, Alsatians, and Poles). Mo...

Prostitution is known as the oldest profession in the history of humanity. While historians have already given due consideration to the profession’s social and cultural meanings across time periods, little has been written about literary representations of prostitution. Prostitution in Medieval and Early Modern Literature analyses the work of writers from an array of social positions, including courtly poets and even religious writers, dealing with the topic during the medieval and early m...

Although courtly literature is often associated with a chivalrous and idyllic life, the fifteen original essays in this collection demonstrate that the quest for love in the world of medieval courtly literature was underpinned by violence. Lovers were rejected, mistrust ruled, rape was a rampant problem, and marriage was often characterized by brutality. Albrecht Classen brings together an outstanding group of historical, cultural, and literary scholars in this volume to investigate the co...

Amerika ist schon ein schrulliges Land, vielleicht weil so viele Menschen aus der ganzen Welt hier ankommen, vielleicht aber auch, weil es so groß und immer noch so jung ist. Aber die politische Situation und das Verhalten der Menschen allgemein geben doch viel Anlass, sich eher sarkastisch darüber zu äußern. Albrecht Classen lebt und lehrt nun schon seit 1984 in den USA, seit 1987 in Arizona, und da ergeben sich zahllose Möglichkeiten, etwas satirisch darüber zu reflektieren, wie der Allt...