Remaking the Middle Ages - by Andrew B R Elliott (Paperback)

About the Book

Proposing a fresh theoretical approach to the study of cinematic portrayals of the Middle Ages, this book uses semiotics and historiography to demonstrate how contemporary filmmakers have attempted to recreate the past in a way that, while largely imagined, is also logical, meaningful, and as truthful as possible. Carrying out this critical approach, the author analyzes a wide range of films depicting the Middle Ages, arguing that most of these films either reflect the past through a series of visual signs (a concept he has coined "iconic recreation") or by comparing the past to a modern equivalent (coined "paradigmatic representation.")

Book Synopsis

Proposing a fresh theoretical approach to the study of cinematic portrayals of the Middle Ages, this book uses both semiotics and historiography to demonstrate how contemporary filmmakers have attempted to recreate the past in a way that, while largely imagined, is also logical, meaningful, and as truthful as possible. Carrying out this critical approach, the author analyzes a wide range of films depicting the Middle Ages, arguing that most of these films either reflect the past through a series of visual signs (a concept he has called "iconic recreation") or by comparing the past to a modern equivalent (called "paradigmatic representation").

Review Quotes

"beginning with problems of history and historiography and film, through authenticity and accuracy in medieval worlds, analyze[s] movies depicting the Middle Ages"-Communication Booknotes Quarterly; "frequent reference to movies and literature"-Reference & Research Book News.

About the Author

Andrew B.R. Elliott is a former senior lecturer in media and cultural studies at the University of Lincoln in the UK. He has published articles and essays on a wide range of topics and is a contributor to a television documentary on the "real" King Arthur.