The Mark of the Beast: The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life and Literature

The medieval bestiary was the culmination and apogee of allegorical functions for animals, assembling stories and pictures of beasts and birds for purposes of moral instruction and courtly entertainment. It is indisputable that the bestiaries were an important medieval contribution to didactic religious literature. But far from comprising an isolated, specialist's genre available only to the religious and literate elite, bestiaries addressed concerns central to virtually all walks of Christian life. Art historical and literary essays with consistent emphasis on text and image analysis explore a variety of important issues treated both in the bestiaries and in their forerunner, the Physiologus. These issues include the Church, the monarchy, anti-semitism, fantastic beasts, Classical thought, romance, sex, and death. Together, the essays clearly demonstrate how bestiaries both address and further develop some of the most important concerns of the Middle Ages, ultimately playing a significant role in the creation of their own cultural milieu.

Booknews

Nine essays reveal accumulated layers of meaning developed in the bestiary stories and attached to the animals themselves, and the numerous ambiguities and contradictions that demonstrate the flexibility and power of the genre. Concentrating on art history and literary analysis, they connect specific artistic and literary features of the bestiaries to broader issues in medieval art, life, and literature. They cover social realities, moral lessons, classical inheritances, and reading beasts. The illustrations are monochrome. Only beasts are indexed. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)