Incest and medieval imagination

Elizabeth Archibald9780198112099, 0198112092

Incest was a social problem in the Middle Ages, and also a popular literary theme. This wide-ranging study is the first survey of medieval incest stories in their cultural context. Did they reflect real life situations? How was incest defined in the Middle Ages? How were classical incest stories treated by medieval writers? Why was incest such a popular motif in the legendary lives of popes and saints, and why was it inserted into the stories of great heroes such as Charlemagne and Arthur?

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Table of contents :
EEn
……Page 1
Cover
……Page 2
Copyright Info
……Page 5
Acknowledgements
……Page 7
TOC
……Page 9
Abbreviations

……Page 11
Conventions
……Page 12
A Note on Terminology
……Page 13
Introduction: Dangerous Propinquity
……Page 16
1 – Medieval Incest Law–Theory and Practice
……Page 24
The Graeco-Roman Tradition
……Page 27
Other Evidence for Classical Attitudes to Incest
……Page 32
The Judaic, Biblical, and Patristic Tradition
……Page 36
The Development of Medieval Incest Laws
……Page 41
Observance of the Incest Rules in the Middle Ages
……Page 56
2 – The Classical Legacy
……Page 68
Incest in Classical Myth, Legend, and Literature
……Page 69
Christian Approaches to Classical Incest Sotires
……Page 81
Medieval Adaptations of Classical Incest Stories
……Page 85
Oedipus
……Page 86
Ovidian Bad Girls
……Page 93
Semiramis

……Page 106
Apollonius of Tyre
……Page 108
Conclusions
……Page 116
3 – Mothers and Sons
……Page 119
Medieval Oedipuses: Judas, Gregorius, and their Literary Descendants
……Page 122
Romance Versions: Incest Averted
……Page 141
4 – Fathers and Daughters
……Page 160
Unconsummated Incest–The Flight from the Incestuous Father
……Page 162
Variations on the Flight from Incest Theme
……Page 176
Consummated Incest
……Page 198
5 – Siblings and Other Relatives
……Page 207
Siblings
……Page 208
Exempla
……Page 209
Romance
……Page 210
Charlemagne and Arthur
……Page 214
Volsunga Saga
……Page 234
Other Relatives
……Page 236
Conclusion
……Page 244
Conclusion: Sex, Sin, and Salvation
……Page 245
The Immaculate Exception to the Rule
……Page 253
Appendix: Synopses of Flight from Incestuous Father Stories
……Page 260
Primary Sources
……Page 272
Secondary Sources
……Page 282
Index
……Page 298