Greek East And Latin West

Sample

Lillian M. Bisson

Divided between the outer world of affairs and the inner world of poetic insight, Chaucer sought to make sense of his changing, conflicting world. In Chaucer and the Late Medieval World, Lillian M. Bisson examines the societal issues that the poet explored in his work. Bisson provides lively interpretations of Chaucer's texts, especially The Canterbury Tales, in the context of the paradigmatic shifts taking place around him, and offers a broad historical overview - often going back to the Early Christian period - to help the reader grasp the significance of those shifts. She focuses on three major areas of medieval life - religion, class/commerce, and gender - all of which were experiencing considerable change in the fourteenth century.

Sample

Michael Paine

The first crusade was set in motion by Pope Urban II in 1095 and culminated in the capture of Jerusalem from the Muslims four years later. In 1291 the fall of Acre marked the loss of the last Christian enclave in the Holy Land. This book traces the chronology of the Crusades between these two dates and highlights the most important figures on all sides of the conflict. It covers the creation of the kingdom of Jerusalem and the other crusader states and their struggle to survive. It looks at the successes and failures of the Third Crusade and at the legendary figures of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, explores the truth and the myths behind the orders of military monks like the Hospitallers and examines such strange historical events as the Children's Crusade and the crusader sacking of Byzantium in 1204. It also looks at the struggles of the Teutonic Knights against paganism in the Baltic. The book provides the essential information about one of the great unifying, and disunifying, forces of medieval Christendom.

Sample

A.J. Boyle

"Tragic Seneca undertakes a radical re-evaluation of Seneca's plays, their relationship to Roman imperial culture and their instrumental role in the evolution of the European theatrical tradition." "Tragic Seneca attempts to restore Seneca to a central position in the European literary tradition. It will provide readers and directors of Seneca's plays with the essential critical guide to their intellectual, cultural and dramatic complexity."--Jacket.

Sample

Chana Stiefel

Explores life during the Middle Ages; describes the features found in castles, including murder holes, gatehouses, and moats; and discusses the numerous smells the inhabitants encountered. Have you ever dreamed of living in a castle? Imagine a moat filled with poop and an army of invaders holding you under siege. Life in the Middle Ages was no fairy tale! Charge back in time to find out what real life was like in the castles of the Middle Ages.