Stasis in the Medieval West Questioning Change and Continuity [Hardcover]

This volume questions the extent to which Medieval studies has emphasized the period as one of change and development through reexamining aspects of the medieval world that remained static. The Medieval period is popularly thought of as a dark age, before the flowerings of the Renaissance ushered a return to the wisdom of the Classical era.?However, the reality familiar to scholars and students of the Middle Ages  that this was a time of immense transition and transformation  is well known. This book approaches the theme of stasis in broad terms, with chapters covering the full temporal range from Late Antiquity to the later Middle Ages. Contributors to this collection seek to establish what remained static, continuous or ongoing in the Medieval era, and how the periods political and cultural upheavals generated stasis in the form of deadlock, nostalgia, and the preservation of ancient traditions.

Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

List of Abbreviations

1????????? Introduction: Stasis in the Medieval West? Questioning Change and Continuity

? ? ? ? ? ? Michael D. J. Bintley

3????????? The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: Decorative Continuity in Early Anglo- ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Saxon England

4????????? Art History in the Dark Ages: (Re)considering Space, Stasis and Modern Viewing Practices ? ? ? ? ? ? ? in Relation to Anglo-Saxon Imagery

5????????? Set in Stone or Food for Worms: the Stasis of Writing in the Exeter Book Riddles