Placing heroes from a wide range of medieval traditions shoulder to shoulder, this title provides the opportunity to examine what is common across medieval mythic, legendary, and folkloric traditions, as well as what seems unique.
Christopher R. Fee is Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA.
"Christopher Fee intends the multicultural juxtaposition of
medieval heroes to convey a sense of narrative continuity across
civilizations and common cultural ancestry. Explicitly claiming its
intended audience to be ' nonspecialists ' , the book advances
trends towards globalization and internationalism by broadening the
popular understanding of ' medieval' to include non-Western
European societies. As a reference book, it might be compared to a
modernized Bullfinch's Mythology—one with twenty-first-century
values and an updated bibliography. Fee's enthusiasm for the
material is contagious, and the summaries of medieval tales make
for entertaining reading. This book will most likely inspire
readers who are new to medieval studies to seek out the
primary-source material and read it more closely.
*Speculum, A Journal of Medieval Studies*
This work will be a useful entrée to this genre, particularly for
the lesser-known tales from the Islamic (e.g., Persian, Turkish,
and Arabian) world. Summing up: recommended.
*Choice*
Each exciting and moving hero tale comes through effectively and
pointedly without excess or skimping. . . . [I]f you teach or just
enjoy hero tales, get a copy of Professor Fee's book for your
library and perhaps one for yourself as well: you will be glad to
have it, and you will go back to it for ideas for teaching,
additional readings, and class discussions.
*Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching (SMART)*
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