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Old Age in Early Medieval England

By Thijs Porck

Old Age in Early Medieval England Social Sciences

Old Age in Early Medieval England

0 - Default Title
Description
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.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Number of Pages:
290
Release Date:
2021-06-08
Publication Date:
2021-06-18
Publisher:
Boydell Press
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
1783276347
ISBN13:
9781783276349
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
445 g
Height:
156 cm
Width:
234 cm
Thickness:
16 cm
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