Medievalism and Orientalism : three essays on literature, architecture, and cultural identity

This unique study traces fundamental parallels between medieval European and Middle Eastern cultures. By examining sources in cultural history, literature, and architecture, this book reveals mutual influences evident in the development of the current conception of the Middle Ages.

This book traces the strangely intertwined histories of the Middle Ages and the Orient as they are represented in histories of literature, architecture, and language, revealing an identity crisis in the idea of a purely Western Civilization. The definition of medieval culture, especially literature and architecture, from its earliest formulation in the Renaissance through to the twentieth century, has been a site of a contest over the idea of the West, and by definition, that which is non-Western. Early humanists claimed that medieval culture, including Gothic architecture and medieval romance, was largely the result of foreign, particularly Eastern, influence. Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century antiquarians sought the Phoenician origins of Britain, linking ancient civilizations to the Druids. Victorian World's Fairs often included medieval installations adjoining the pavilions of their newly conquered colonies. By connecting these associations between the British Middle Ages and the Orient, Medievalism and Orientalism traces a striking pattern in which "the past is a foreign country" and uncovers a terrible anxiety about origins and purity in Western culture.

Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century antiquarians sought the Phoenician origins of Britain, linking ancient civilizations to the Druids. Victorian World's Fairs often included medieval installations adjoining the pavilions of their newly conquered colonies. By connecting these associations between the British Middle Ages and the Orient, Medievalism and Orientalism traces a striking pattern in which "the past is a foreign country" and uncovers a terrible anxiety about origins and purity in Western culture."--Jacket Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 8 Copyright Page 9 Dedication 10 Table of Contents 12 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction 16 1. The Middle Ages as Genre 31 2. The Middle Ages as Genealogy, or, the White Orient 70 3. The Middle Ages as Display 95 Notes 120 Bibliography 141 Index 160 Front Matter....Pages I-XIV Introduction....Pages 1-15 The Middle Ages as Genre....Pages 17-55 The Middle Ages as Genealogy, or, the White Orient....Pages 57-81 The Middle Ages as Display....Pages 83-107 Back Matter....Pages 109-156