Behind the castle gate : from medieval to Renaissance / Matthew Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Matthew, 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Castles--England.

Castles.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 209 p. ) ill., map, plans

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Matthew Johnson examines castles in England at the end of the Middle Ages to discover how they were used, what influenced the way they were built, why they were modified and who was responsible for such modification.

In this engaging book Matthew Johnson looks 'behind the castle gate' to discover the truth about castles in England at the end of the Middle Ages. Traditional studies have seen castles as compromises between the needs of comfort and of defence, and as statements of wealth or power or both. By encouraging the reader to view castles in relation to their inhabitants, Matthew Johnson uncovers a whole new vantage point. He shows how castles functioned as stage-settings against which people played out roles of lord and servant, husband and wife, father and son. Building, rebuilding and living in a castle was as complex an experience as a piece of medieval art. Behind the Castle Gate brings castles and their inhabitants alive. Combining ground-breaking scholarship with fascinating narratives it will be read avidly by all with an interest in castles. In this engaging book Matthew Johnson looks 'behind the castle gate' to discover the truth about castles in England at the end of the Middle Ages. Traditional studies have seen castles as compromises between the needs of comfort and of defence, and as statements of wealth or power or both. By encouraging the reader to view castles in relation to their inhabitants, Matthew Johnson uncovers a whole new vantage point. He shows how castles functioned as stage-settings against which people played out roles of lord and servant, husband and wife, father and son. Building, rebuilding and living in a castle was as complex an experience as a piece of medieval art. Behind the Castle Gate brings castles and their inhabitants alive. Combining ground-breaking scholarship with fascinating narratives it will be read avidly by all with an interest in castles.

Contents:

Introduction : casting our eyes upon sconces

Watery landscapes

The ordering of the late medieval castle

Medieval to Renaissance

Kenilworth : the evidence house

Beyond the pale

Conclusion : rethinking castles.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-203) and index.

ISBN:

1-135-13565-7

0-203-37873-3

1-299-47708-9

1-135-13558-4

9780203378731

OCLC:

842263906