The Telegraph had a great article by Philip Hensher about why we are so obsessed with medieval England in our reading. I think this applies to the middle ages in all countries and for the purpose of this blog Crime Fiction.So why are we in the Grip of Medieval Mania? Could it be Swine Flu compared to the Black Death? Climate Change? new exhibit at the V&A?
L.P Hartley said that “the past is a foreign country”; and, like most foreign countries, it gets easier and easier to travel there, to compare our daily experience with theirs.
Read this Fascinating Article HERE. (he mentioned Tey's The Daughter of Time).
I love medieval mysteries, and I've always read them. Perhaps it's because I did graduate work on both Medieval art and religion.
What is your favorite Medieval Mystery and Why?
5 comments:
Brother Cadfael stories are my favorites, but it's now been so long since I read them, I don't recall my favorite one.
I've always loved those, and I've reread most of them. There are so many medieval mysteries now..sometimes hard to keep up.
I think the medieval period has always been fascinating to people. Ivanhoe and the Three Musketeers were written several centuries ago. More recently the books of C.J. Sansom, notably Dissolution, taught me more about British History than I ever learned elsewhere. For France my favorites are the books written by Sharan Newman. The period is far enough from us yet close enough so we can still relate to the characters. Plus the clothes are wonderful to look at. It also makes me feel very grateful to live in an era of central heating, indoor plumbing and good medicine.
I agree about Newman and Sansom. Excellent. The Three Musketeers is a later period, but still the same idea. Thanks for replying
All of the Brother Cadfael. Ellis Peters gave readers such a compelling character and subsequent medieval mystery writer a major inspiration. To my mind, Cadfael stands at the top of the creative mountain. Sadly, so many wonderful medieval mystery writers are either doing something else or have lost their publishers: Newman, Roe, Robb--jut to name a few.
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