Prostitution in Medieval and Early Modern Literature

The Dark Side of Sex and Love in the Premodern Era

Inbunden, Engelska, 2019

AvAlbrecht Classen

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Prostitution is known as the oldest profession in the history of humanity. While historians have already given due consideration to the profession’s social and cultural meanings across time periods, little has been written about literary representations of prostitution. Prostitution in Medieval and Early Modern Literature analyses the work of writers from an array of social positions, including courtly poets and even religious writers, dealing with the topic during the medieval and early modern periods. Its study shows that prostitutes and brothel owners were present on the literary stage far more often than we might have assumed. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach and incorporating relevant sources from across the entire European continent dating from the early Middle Ages to the sixteenth century, it examines the phenomenon of prostitution in a variety of contexts and highlights the extent to which the institution mattered for both the higher and the lower classes.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2019-07-18
Mått159 x 230 x 24 mm
Vikt558 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieStudies in Medieval Literature
Antal sidor244
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN9781498585804

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Chapter 1. Prostitution: A Historical Phenomenon from Late Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Ages, Mirrored in Literary DocumentsChapter 2. Modern Voices and Witnesses of Prostitution in LiteratureChapter 3. The Canoness Hrotsvit and the Prostitute: An Early Medieval Playwright and Her Responses to the “Sordid” World of ProstitutionChapter 4. Christine de Pizan’s Advice to Prostitutes: A Late Medieval Perspective by a Woman Writer Regarding ProstitutionChapter 5. Prostitution in the Work of Late Medieval Poetry: Oswald von Wolkenstein (1376/77–1445)Chapter 6. Prostitution in the Works by François Villon: Autobiographical-Erotic Discourse from the Underside of Courtly CultureChapter 7. The Prostitute as Protagonist: The Intriguing Case of Fernando de Rojas’s Celestina (1499)Chapter 8. The Sojourn in a Brothel: An Unusual Perspective in a Late Medieval German Verse NarrativeChapter 9. The Prostitute and Prostitution in Late Medieval and Early Modern German Song PoetryChapter 10. Prostitutes in fabliaux, mæren, and novelli: The Rise of Realism in Late Medieval and Early Modern Literature Seen through the Lens of Commodified SexualityChapter 11. Prostitutes in Sixteenth-Century Schwänke (Prose Jest Narratives)Epilogue

In Prostitution in Medieval and Early Modern Literature: The Dark Side of Sex and Love in the Premodern Era, Albrecht Classen builds on the considerable work of cultural historians on the subject of prostitution by focusing on literary discussions of the topic. The appearance and treatment of the phenomenon in literary texts attest to the fact that prostitution was a salient topic for artists and the discourse surrounding it was not limited to the Church or other authoritative institutions. In examining a wide-range of works from Germany, France, and Spain, Classen finds that not all authors portray prostitution in a negative light. This study shows that although criticism of prostitution is present, the subject was also treated satirically or as a way to challenge dominant concepts of morality and ethics.