From dragons and one-eyed giants to divine visions and friendly otters, Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley roam the strange and wonderful literary landscape of the Middle Ages, from Beowulf to Sir John Mandeville, by way of Chaucer, Sir Gawain and plenty of far-fetched romance.
Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley are both writers and historians, and regular contributors to the London Review of Books.
Medieval Beginnings is part of the Close Readings podcasts collection from the London Review of Books.
To unlock all the episodes in this series, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:
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From dragons and one-eyed giants to divine visions and friendly otters, Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley roam the strange and wonderful literary landscape of the Middle Ages, from Beowulf to Sir John Mandeville, by way of Chaucer, Sir Gawain and plenty of far-fetched romance.
Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley are both writers and historians, and regular contributors to the London Review of Books.
Medieval Beginnings is part of the Close Readings podcasts collection from the London Review of Books.
To unlock all the episodes in this series, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:
In Apple
Directly at the top of this podcast or here: https://apple.co/3XTS9H8
In Spotify and other apps
Here: lrb.me/closereadings
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From the first recorded instance of the word ‘fart’ in English, to nuanced vignettes of sexual power dynamics, the numerous Middle English lyrics that have survived down the centuries, often scribbled in the margins of more ‘serious’ texts, offer a vivid snapshot of everyday medieval life. In the tenth episode of Medieval Beginings, Irina and Mary analyse several of these short, fleeting verses, probably set to music, and consider their possible origins and purpose, their delicious ambiguity, and their equivocal relationship to the sacred manuscripts in which they've been found.
Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here:
Directly in Apple Podcasts at the top of this feed, or here: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq
In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings
Further reading in the LRB: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v28/n10/barbara-newman/i-was-such-a-lovely-girl
Listen to 'Sumer is icumen in' sung by The Hilliard Ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMCA9nYnLWo
Some of the lyrics discussed in this episode can be found online:
Sumer is icumen in:
https://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medlyric/cuckou.php
I Have a Yong Suster
https://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medlyric/suster.php
Maiden in the mor
https://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medlyric/maideninthemoor.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiden_in_the_mor_lay
I have a gentil cock
https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/i-have-gentil-cook
Irina Dumitrescu is Professor of English Medieval Studies at the University of Bonn and Mary Wellesley as a historian and author of Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and their Makers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.