The Medieval World View: An Introduction

The Medieval World View, 2/e, is an engaging introduction to the people, places, and ideas that shaped the intellectual world of the Middle Ages. The book presents the presuppositions of medieval society in a systematic fashion by integrating brief, self-contained selections from primary texts and carefully captioned photographs into a narrative of the medieval world and its foundations.
The text is divided into three parts. Treating both the classical and biblical antecedents of the Middle Ages and ending in Late Antiquity, Part 1 includes a thorough discussion of the monumental figure of St. Augustine. Part 2 deals with the early Middle Ages, beginning with the disintegration of the Roman Empire and continuing through the German invasions, the sixth- and seventh-century founders, and the renaissance associated with the reign of Charlemagne. Part 3 examines the High Middle Ages and beyond, following developments in the Church, in politics, and in arts and culture from the twelfth century through the end of the fourteenth century. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent scholarship in the field. It adds a new chapter covering the fourteenth century and pays greater attention to women and gender-related issues. The bibliography has been updated and revised and now provides a useful guide to electronic resources.
The Medieval World View, 2/e, handles sophisticated issues with great clarity and ease, making this an ideal text for courses in Medieval history, literature, or art history.

William R. Cook and Ronald B. Herzman are both at SUNY-Geneseo.