Title: Medieval cruelty : changing perceptions, late antiquity to the early modern period /
Authors: Baraz, Daniel.
Publisher: Cornell University Press,
Year: 2003
Subjects: Cruelty History.; Civilization, Medieval; Europe Social conditions; Europe Social conditions
Abstract: "Medieval Cruelty's scope ranges from the writings of Seneca to those of Montaigne and draws from sources that include the views of Western Christians, Eastern Christians, and Muslims. Baraz examines the development of the concept of cruelty in legal texts, philosophical treatises, and other works that attempt to discuss the nature of cruelty. He then considers histories, martyrdom accounts, and literary works in which cruelty is represented rather than discussed directly."--Jacket.
Contents: Speculating on cruelty, theoretical discussions from Seneca to Montaigne -- Late antiquity, the building blocks of a discourse -- The early Middle Ages, an age of silence? -- The central Middle Ages, a renaissance of cruelty -- The late Middle Ages, manipulated images and structured emotions -- The early modern period, cruelty transformed.