Old Age in Early Medieval England: A Cultural History - Paperback

Old Age in Early Medieval England: A Cultural History - Paperback

$70.76
$70.76
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Old Age in Early Medieval England: A Cultural History - Paperback
  • Old Age in Early Medieval England: A Cultural History - Paperback
Old Age in Early Medieval England: A Cultural History - Paperback

Old Age in Early Medieval England: A Cultural History - Paperback

$70.76
$70.76

by Thijs Porck (Author)

First full-length study of the notion and concept of old age in early medieval England.

How did Anglo-Saxons reflect on the experience of growing old? Was it really a golden age for the elderly, as has been suggested? This first full survey of the Anglo-Saxon cultural conceptualisation of old age, as manifested and reflected in the texts and artwork of the inhabitants of early medieval England, presents a more nuanced and complicated picture. The author argues that although senescence was associated with the potential for wisdom and pious living, the Anglo-Saxons also anticipated various social, psychological and physical repercussions of growing old. Their attitude towards elderly men and women - whether they were saints, warriors or kings - was equally ambivalent.
Multidisciplinary in approach, this book makes use of a wide variety of sources, ranging from the visual arts to hagiography, homiletic literature and heroic poetry. Individual chapters deal with early medieval definitions ofthe life cycle; the merits and drawbacks of old age as represented in Anglo-Saxon homilies and wisdom poetry; the hagiographic topos of elderly saints; the portrayal of grey-haired warriors in heroic literature; Beowulf asa mirror for elderly kings; and the cultural roles attributed to old women.
Number of Pages: 288
Dimensions: 0.61 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN
Publication Date: June 18, 2021

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