Introducing Medieval Animal Names - (Medieval Animals) by Ben Parsons (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A study of the relationship between people and animals in the Middle Ages.

What did medieval people call the animals they lived and worked with? Why did they choose those particular names? This book sets out to answer these questions. Drawing evidence from literary, documentary, and material sources, Introducing Medieval Animal Names surveys the surviving evidence of pet names from the period, along with the labels given to livestock and working animals, and the folk names given to wild birds and beasts. It also thinks about the conventions that directed animal naming in the Middle Ages and how proper nouns behaved when given to non-human organisms. Through this inquiry, the book seeks to lay bare the period's larger attitudes towards animals and their functions and identities. It also sheds light on how those in the Middle Ages conceived the natural world as a whole and its relationship with human beings and their culture.

Review Quotes

"Introducing Medieval Animal Names by Prof. Ben Parsons presents to its readers with a lively overview of the names medieval people gave to both their domestic as well as wild animals, how these names came to be, and even a bit of etymology and grammar in how proper names of functioned in the English language when used in regard to non-human animals. Whether your interest is in medieval history, natural history, the history of languages, or if you simply enjoy particularly interesting books, Introducing Medieval Animal Names is a book well worthy of your attention."-- "The Well-Read Naturalist"

"This exceptional book on animal-naming opens a new field in medieval studies. Parsons skilfully shows how the names bestowed upon animals expose broader attitudes to the natural world and human and non-human subjectivity."-- "Merridee L. Bailey, associate member, faculty of history, University of Oxford"

"This is a lively, accessible and thought-provoking book. Drawing from texts and material culture across Latin, Arabic and European vernacular contexts, the author offers a vibrant view of animal-human relations in the medieval world. Readers will encounter fascinating forms of intimacy across species - and may also find themselves asking new questions about medieval kinship, class, race and disability."-- "Professor Jonathan Hsy, George Washington University"

About the Author

Ben Parsons is associate professor at the University of Leicester. He is the author of Punishment and Medieval Education and Two Middle English Prayer Cycles.