| Wolves and the Wilderness in the Middle Ages Contributor(s): Pluskowski, Aleksander (Author) |
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ISBN: 1843832364 ISBN-13: 9781843832362 Publisher: Boydell Press OUR PRICE: $109.25 Product Type: Hardcover Published: September 2006 Annotation: The wolf, a common metaphor for vice in medieval Christian literature, is today an iconic symbol of the intense fear and insecurity that some associate with the middle ages. In reality, responses to wolves varied across medieval Europe. Although not dependent on the wilderness, wolves were conceptually linked to this environment - which although on the fringes of medieval society, became increasingly exploited from the eighth to fourteenth centuries, so bringing people and livestock closer to the wolf.This book compares responses to wolves, focusing on two regions, Britain and southern Scandinavia. It looks at the distribution of wolves in the landscape, their potential impact as predators on both animals and people, and their use as commodities, in literature, art, cosmology and identity. It also investigates the reasons (both practical and cultural) for the eradication of wolves in England, but their survival on the Scandinavian peninsula. ALEKSANDER PLUSKOWSKI is Junior Research Fellow in Medieval Archaeology, Clare College, Cambridge |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Medieval - Nature | Animals - Mammals |
| Dewey: 599.773 |
| Physical Information: 0.77" H x 6.4" W x 9.3" (1.33 lbs) 248 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - British Isles - Cultural Region - Scandinavian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The wolf, a common metaphor for vice in medieval Christian literature, is today an iconic symbol of the intense fear and insecurity that some associate with the middle ages. In reality, responses to wolves varied across medieval Europe. Although not dependent on the wilderness, wolves were conceptually linked to this environment - which although on the fringes of medieval society, became increasingly exploited from the eighth to fourteenth centuries, so bringing people and livestock closer to the wolf. This book compares responses to wolves, focusing on two regions, Britain and southern Scandinavia. It looks at the distribution of wolves in the landscape, their potential impact as predators on both animals and people, and their use as commodities, in literature, art, cosmology and identity. It also investigates the reasons (both practical and cultural) for the eradication of wolves in England, but their survival on the Scandinavian peninsula. ALEKSANDER PLUSKOWSKI is Junior Research Fellow in Medieval Archaeology, Clare College, Cambridge |