The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought (Medieval Studies (Syracuse, N.Y.).)

During the Middle Ages, travellers in Africa and Asia reported that monstrous races thrived beyond the boundaries of the known world. This work offers an introspective look at these races and their interaction with Western art, literature and philosophy. Acknowledgments......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 Illustrations......Page 8 Introduction......Page 15 1 The Plinian Races......Page 19 2 A Measure of Man......Page 40 3 At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners......Page 51 4 Missionaries and Pilgrims among the Monstrous Races......Page 73 5 Cain's Kin......Page 101 6 Signs of God's Will......Page 122 7 Exotic Peoples in Manuscript Illustration......Page 145 8 Monstrous Men as Noble Savages......Page 177 9 The Human Status of the Monstrous Races......Page 192 Epilogue......Page 211 Abbreviations......Page 224 Notes......Page 225 Bibliography......Page 273 Index......Page 313 Friedman (English, Kent State U.) calls them monstrous because they differ in physical appearance and social practices from whoever was describing them. He finds them lurking in Mandeville's Travels, populating the outermost edges of world maps, and resting in neat frames on pages of illustrated encyclopedias. He has made corrections to the 1981 cloth edition and updated the bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR During the Middle Ages, travelers in Africa and Asia reported that "monstrous races" thrived beyond the boundaries of the known world. John B. Friedman offers an introspective look at these races and their interaction with Western art, literature, and philosophy.