The making of medieval forgeries

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Roger Sherman Loomis

"The medieval legend of the Grail, a tale about the search for supreme mystical experience, has never ceased to intrigue writers and scholars by its wildly variegated forms: the settings have ranged from Britain to the Punjab to the Temple of Zeus at Dodona; the Grail itself has been described as the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, a stone with miraculous youth-preserving virtues, or a vessel containing a man's head swimming in blood. In his classic exploration of the major versions, Roger Sherman Loomis shows how the Grail, once a Celtic vessel of plenty, evolved into the Christian Grail with miraculous powers. Loomis bases his argument on historical examples involving the major motifs and characters in the legends, beginning with the Arthurian legend recounted in the 1180 French poem by Chrétien de Troyes. Loomis's book builds suspense as he proceeds from one puzzle to the next in revealing the meaning behind the legends"--

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Matthew Leigh

This study invites the reader to consider Roman comedy in the light of history and Roman history in the light of comedy. It takes issues as diverse as the legal status of the prisoner of war, the ethics of ambush, fatherhood and command, and the clash of maritime and agrarian economies.

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essays Griselda Pollock

"Griselda Pollock, in seeking to understand her own paradoxical role as critic and historian, has established not only a social and historical framework for her practice, but also a self-critical one. Internationally, Pollock is recognized as a significant writer on art and arguably the most important voice in feminist art history in Britain. She has also become a significant force in the area of Cultural Studies and is widely read by those outside the discipline of Art History. In this selection of recent essays, she insightfully engages all major areas of contemporary theory, especially focusing on sexed subjectives, post-colonialism and Marxist-informed history." "Penny Florence, in her commentary, places Pollock's critique of Modernism, art history and criticism within the context of the social, political and ideological developments that have taken place since the 1970s."--BOOK JACKET.

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Marco Livingstone

This book offers readers a clear perspective on the movement, unravelling the sequence of events associated with the evolution of Pop in Britain, Europe and the United States. Drawn in part from extensive interviews with the contemporary artists, and illustrating the work of more than 130 artists, it is the most authoritative study available on this intriguing movement.