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stevendedalus's review against another edition
4.0
The book's chapter structure, from the head to the feet, is very very loose and gives Hartwell plenty of room to explore fun, bizarre and gross stories of the middle ages that, despite promises in the first chapter, pretty much conforms with our preconceived notions of medieval times.
And though he makes gestures to the Arab and Byzantine worlds, Hartwell is very much about white, Western Europe which serves as the laser focis despite an occasional aside.
From literature to religion, to defecation and medicine, it's all shown here is breezy, approachable chapters with plenty of rich illustrations. In no way is it revelatory, but it's good unclean fun.
And though he makes gestures to the Arab and Byzantine worlds, Hartwell is very much about white, Western Europe which serves as the laser focis despite an occasional aside.
From literature to religion, to defecation and medicine, it's all shown here is breezy, approachable chapters with plenty of rich illustrations. In no way is it revelatory, but it's good unclean fun.
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this with a sense of trepidation – often, when I’m seduced into impulse-buying a book because of its stunning physical design, I find I don’t like the text as much as I like the look of the book. But, to my immense pleasure, Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages was a great read.
It is a book that explores medieval bodies as a way to understanding medieval identity, A broad range of subjects are covered – medicine, attitudes towards gluttony, travel, maps, clothing and shoes, sexualities, death, beheadings, manuscripts, relics and more. Each subject is covered only briefly, but all together, the book becomes a place to begin to understand the medieval concept of identity based around the body. Jack Hartnell concludes there is a lot more to say about medieval bodies, especially as advancements in science reveal more and more about the artefact and evidence of that time. A bibliography provides an extensive list of titles for further reading.
The brevity of each subject is a side effect of its broad coverage and it’s amazing to have it in all in one place in such a beautiful package. There isn’t any footnoting given, which might be an issue for a reader looking for a more academic start, however. Hartnell’s writing is clear, enjoyable and not remotely dry or inaccessible. I don’t know enough myself to challenge Hartnell’s conclusions, but I’m aware there are more knowledgeable readers that have (see, for example, here).
It is a book that explores medieval bodies as a way to understanding medieval identity, A broad range of subjects are covered – medicine, attitudes towards gluttony, travel, maps, clothing and shoes, sexualities, death, beheadings, manuscripts, relics and more. Each subject is covered only briefly, but all together, the book becomes a place to begin to understand the medieval concept of identity based around the body. Jack Hartnell concludes there is a lot more to say about medieval bodies, especially as advancements in science reveal more and more about the artefact and evidence of that time. A bibliography provides an extensive list of titles for further reading.
The brevity of each subject is a side effect of its broad coverage and it’s amazing to have it in all in one place in such a beautiful package. There isn’t any footnoting given, which might be an issue for a reader looking for a more academic start, however. Hartnell’s writing is clear, enjoyable and not remotely dry or inaccessible. I don’t know enough myself to challenge Hartnell’s conclusions, but I’m aware there are more knowledgeable readers that have (see, for example, here).
jeanmrobertsauthor's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was a fantastic book! See you full review here:
https://www.thebookdelight.com/2020/02/a-most-delightful-book-medieval-bodies.html
https://www.thebookdelight.com/2020/02/a-most-delightful-book-medieval-bodies.html
paperavatar's review
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. My research specialty is in late medieval literature, and I could get picky about a few of his textual readings, but his audience is clearly a general one and...well, I just don't care at the moment. I'm writing from a city under lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this book is interesting and beautiful enough to distract me from an impending apocalypse, so I'm giving it high marks. The wonder with which Hartnell approaches medieval art, history, and texts is contagious and I very much needed an infusion of that wonder this week. I also learned quite a bit in the process.
I raise my glass to Hartnell, and to complicated, exquisite bodies, both medieval and modern.
P.S. Some reviewers are concerned that the information in certain sections seems to wander a bit from the section theme. I found these digressions to be delightful (and intentional) echoes of medieval encyclopedic works, which wander delightfully (and intentionally) all over the place.
I raise my glass to Hartnell, and to complicated, exquisite bodies, both medieval and modern.
P.S. Some reviewers are concerned that the information in certain sections seems to wander a bit from the section theme. I found these digressions to be delightful (and intentional) echoes of medieval encyclopedic works, which wander delightfully (and intentionally) all over the place.
lauradzpz's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Medieval Bodies is a wonderful study of life, death and everything in between during the Middle Ages.
It has been a real pleasure reading this book, it’s too common to come across non-fiction books that are not properly structured or contextualized but that is definitely not the case, Medieval Bodies has excellent historical context and a good structure with a clear development of ideas.
In this book Hatnell paints a very complete picture of the Middle Ages. He analyses a wide and diverse range of interesting subjects (medicine, race and racism, culinary practices, traveling or cartography to name only some) all of them connected through a common thread that gives its name to the book: the human body. Treating each body part as a chapter, the author throws light on how people lived at the time and the extent of the medieval understanding of the inner workings of bodies.
It’s also a beautiful book with very well selected coloured pictures that masterfully illustrate the text and help us immerse even more in this interesting historical era.
Finally, it should be noted the vast research task undertaken by the author that becomes clear just taking a look at the bibliography, also organized according to the multiple topics discussed in the book.
itstoocliche's review against another edition
4.0
Currently writing a critical review of this (critical in the academic sense, not the pejorative). Maybe I'll post parts if they feel relevant. Basically: a VERY interesting book with the common problem of all such books --- it tries to do a lot in a little under 3000 pages .
ktymick's review against another edition
2.0
This history is structured into chapters relating to different body parts, ie., the head, the heart, the feet, and Hartnell seeks to elucidate his audience on how humanity viewed our corporeal forms biologically, scientifically, and culturally. Hartnell attempts to draw evidence from not only Western sources but from the Middle East and Asia as well, but by the end heavily leans on European accounts to assert his suppositions. There are pockets of interesting asides, but his research is paltry and cherry-picked, and the conclusions that are subsequently drawn are weak and point toward what often felt like the author's own professed uncertainty about the subject. I questioned what I was supposed to have learned at the end of each chapter.