Table of Contents

Introduction: The Feast of the Ass: Medieval Faith, Fun, and Fear.- Chapter One Prosecuting Animals as Criminals in Medieval Europe.- Chapter Two: Piety, Perversion and Serial Killing: The Strange Case of Gilles de Rais.- Chapter Three: Gargoyles and Glimpses of Forgotten Worlds.- Chapter Four: To Hell with the Theologians: Doctrines of Damnation in “Last Judgements” in the Medieval Latin West.- Chapter Five: Sensuality, Spirituality and Sexuality in the Religious Experience of Female Mystics.- Chapter Six: Demonizing Dissenters: Patterns of Propaganda and Persecution.- Chapter Seven: The Stripping and the Shaming of Heretics.- Chapter Eight: Surviving the Middle Ages: The Extraordinary Pursuit of Salvation.- Postscript: The Fickle Hand of Fate. 

Promotional Information

"Thomas A. Fudge explodes the still-dominant myth that the European Middle Ages was an era in which religious dissent was systematically suppressed. In witty, yet erudite fashion, Fudge directs attention away from the standard historical narrative. Steeped in the best current scholarship, this is the product of meticulous investigation of original, often archival, sources. Seldom can a serious academic book be described as an engaging read. Fudge offers us a rare exception." (Cary J. Nederman, Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University, USA) "These essays take us to corners of the medieval world that enlarge and complicate the master narrative. The sex life of gargoyles, the internal and external risks and dangers of heresy, the possibility that 'Bluebeard' was framed, the prosecution and punishment of unruly or dangerous animals-all aspects of medieval 'life on the streets' that students and general readers will find a fascinating blend of erudition and sensationalism." (Joel T. Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, State University of New York, Stony Brook, USA) "In a series of essays on different aspects of medieval culture, Fudge demonstrates the extraordinary otherness of medieval ways of looking at the world, whether at animals, demons, monsters, or suspected heretics. He challenges us to reflect on the vividness of the medieval imagination, which was as much spiritual as physical, and always concerned with disruptions to cosmic order." (Constant J. Mews, Professor of Medieval Thought, and Director of the Centre for Religious Studies, Monash University, Australia)

About the Author

Thomas A. Fudgé is Professor of Medieval History at the University of New England, Australia. Author of thirteen books, he is recognized as an international authority on Jan Hus and Hussite history.