Spring/Summer 2005 - University of Toronto Press Publishing

MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE STUDIESRitual and the RoodLiturgical Images and the Old English Poems of theDream of the Rood TraditionÉamonn Ó CarragáinBRITISH LIBRARY STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL CULTURERitual and the Rood is a study of four of the mostimportant surviving artifacts from Anglo-SaxonEngland: the elaborate eighth-century stone crossstill standing at Ruthwell in Dumfriesshire,Scotland; the related cross-shaft at Bewcastle; themajestic and hypnotizing Dream of the Rood, a poemsurviving in a late tenth-century manuscript now inVercelli, North Italy; and the early eleventh-centurymetal reliquary cross now preserved in the Cathedralof Saints Michael and Gudule in Brussels, Belgium.In bringing together these scattered witnessesto the sustained brilliance of Anglo-Saxon artisticachievement across several centuries, Éamonn ÓCarragáin has produced a study of great significanceto Anglo-Saxon history. He grounds his work inliturgical practices and demonstrates that even inthe far North of (then) Anglo-Saxon England, peoplewere deeply influenced by the latest developmentsin liturgy taking place in Rome.Ritual and the Rood is an important contributionto medieval studies and will prove valuable to a widerange of readers, as well as being of particular relevanceto those interested in cultural contacts betweenGermanic and Latin traditions, between England andthe Continent, and in the subtle relations that Anglo-Saxon designers established between word and image.Holiness and Masculinityin Medieval EuropeEdited by Patricia Cullum andKatherine J. LewisStudies of gender in medieval culture have tendedto focus on femininity, however the study ofmedieval masculinities has developed greatly overthe last few years. Holiness and Masculinity inMedieval Europe is the first volume to concentrateon this specific aspect of medieval gender studies,and looks at the ways in which varieties of medievalmasculinity intersected with concepts of holiness.Patricia Cullum and Katherine J. Lewis havecollected an exceptional group of essays that explorediffering notions of medieval holiness, understoodvariously as religious, saintly, sacred, pure, morallyperfect, and consider topics such as significance ofthe tonsure, sanctity and martyrdom, eunuchsaints, and the writings of Henry Suso. Holiness andMasculinity in Medieval Europe deals with a widevariety of texts and historical contexts, fromByzantium to Anglo-Saxon and late-medievalEngland.Patricia Cullum is a principal lecturer in theDepartment of History at the University ofHuddersfield.Katherine J. Lewis is a lecturer in the Department ofHistory at the University of Huddersfield.Éamonn Ó Carragáin is a professor in theDepartment of English at University College Cork.Approx. 320 pp / 6 3 /4 x 9 3 /4 / June 2005Cloth ISBN 0-8020-9008-7 $80.00 ENORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN RIGHTS ONLY.CO-PUBLISHED WITH THE BRITISH LIBRARY.Approx. 240pp / 5 1 /2 x 8 1 /2 / March 2005Paper ISBN 0-8020-4892-7 $27.50 CNORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS ONLY.CO-PUBLISHED WITH UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRESS.31