Handbook

Medieval Legends and Legacies: Bards, Babes and Bawdiness surveys the romantic, tragic and comedic worlds of medieval literature for such texts not only reveal truths about our past, but they also inform our contemporary imagination. The global sensation of Game of Thrones is exemplary of medievalism’s continuing relevance. Texts from the Middle Ages, to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, respectively known as the ‘Dark Ages’ and the ‘Golden Age’ gave rise to the writings of Sir Thomas Malory, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare to name a few. These poets and dramatists epitomise Western literature's rich history of storytelling. Malory’s Arthurian legends, Chaucer’s bawdy poetic and Shakespeare’s epic tragedies have inspired modern-day songwriters, poets, authors, and filmmakers alike. The powerful themes of love, death, violence, friendship are also examined through these literary greats who continue to enrapture us.