Jan M. Ziolkowski Livres

This book studies an extraordinary Latin dialogue with a woman called Jezebel, who is flamboyantly vulgar and irreverent. Ziolkowski first explores medieval attitudes toward the biblical Jezebel. He then sets the poem in the cultural milieu of eleventh-century Normandy. The book contains an edition, a translation, and a copious commentary.

This volume contains nearly twenty essays on obscenity in medieval culture. These essays represent the most wide-ranging attempt ever to probe the natures, origins, and consequences of obscenity in medieval literature, art, theater, and law. Although a core is devoted to obscenity in medieval French literature (where the fabliaux have elicited more previous attempts to come to terms with obscenity than has any other type of medieval literature), other contributions to the volume explore manifestations of obscenity in cultures and languages of Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland, Wales, Byzantium, and even western Slavdom. The book is divided into six different sections: Introducing Obscenity; The Rhetoric of Obscenity; Visualizing Obscenity; Performing Obscenity; Legal Obscenity; and Courting Obscenity in Old French.

The narrative follows an entertainer who leaves his worldly life to enter a monastery, where his passionate dance before a statue of the Madonna leads to accusations of blasphemy. The story unfolds through its evolution from a medieval poem to its adaptations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A pivotal moment occurs when the statue miraculously comes to life, affirming the juggler's devotion and skill, showcasing themes of faith, artistry, and redemption. This study spans six volumes, highlighting the tale's rich history and cultural impact.

Exploring the evolution of a captivating tale, this six-volume study traces the journey of a medieval French poem into its later adaptations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The narrative follows an entertainer who leaves his worldly life to join a monastery, facing accusations of blasphemy for his dance of devotion before a Madonna statue. His fate changes dramatically when the statue comes to life, revealing the power of art and faith.

Focusing on the performing arts, this anthology examines the French poem Our Lady's Tumbler from the late 1230s, comparing it to biblical episodes and medieval miracles across various cultures. It also explores the poem's reception in modern literature, highlighting influences on notable figures like Anatole France and W.H. Auden. The collection features previously untranslated texts and offers insights into medieval beliefs, making it a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the arts and the Middle Ages.

The narrative follows an entertainer who leaves his worldly life to join a monastery, only to face accusations of blasphemy for dancing in devotion to a statue of the Madonna. His fate takes a miraculous turn when the statue comes to life, captivated by his performance. This study spans six volumes, tracing the evolution of this compelling tale from its medieval origins to its adaptations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, highlighting its enduring impact and significance.

"This ambitious and vivid study in six volumes explores the journey of a single, electrifying story, from its first incarnation in a medieval French poem through its prolific rebirth in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Juggler of Notre Dame tells how an entertainer abandons the world to join a monastery, but is suspected of blasphemy after dancing his devotion before a statue of the Madonna in the crypt; he is saved when the statue, delighted by his skill, miraculously comes to life. Jan Ziolkowski tracks the poem from its medieval roots to its rediscovery in late nineteenth-century Paris, before its translation into English in Britain and the United States. The visual influence of the tale on Gothic revivalism and vice versa in America is carefully documented with lavish and inventive illustrations, and Ziolkowski concludes with an examination of the explosion of interest in The Juggler of Notre Dame in the twentieth century and its place in mass culture today. In this volume Jan Ziolkowski follows the juggler of Notre Dame as he cavorts through new media, including radio, television, and film, becoming closely associated with Christmas and embedded in children's literature. Presented with great clarity and simplicity, Ziolkowski's work is accessible to the general reader, while its many new discoveries will be valuable to academics in such fields and disciplines as medieval studies, medievalism, philology, literary history, art history, folklore, performance studies, and reception studies."--Publisher's website