Chess in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age: A Fundamental Thought Paradigm of the Premodern World

Published by De Gruyter 2012

Chess in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age

A Fundamental Thought Paradigm of the Premodern World

Edited by: Daniel E. O'Sullivan

Volume 10 in the series Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110288810

Overview
Contents

About this book

The game of chess was wildly popular in the Middle Ages, so much so that it became an important thought paradigm for thinkers and writers who utilized its vocabulary and imagery for commentaries on war, politics, love, and the social order. In this collection of essays, scholars investigate chess texts from numerous traditions – English, French, German, Latin, Persian, Spanish, Swedish, and Catalan – and argue that knowledge of chess is essential to understanding medieval culture. Such knowledge, however, cannot rely on the modern game, for today’s rules were not developed until the late fifteenth century. Only through familiarity with earlier incarnations of the game can one fully appreciate the full import of chess to medieval society. The careful scholarship contained in this volume provides not only insight into the significance of chess in medieval European culture but also opens up avenues of inquiry for future work in this rich field.

Author / Editor information

Daniel E. O'Sullivan, University of Mississippi, USA.

Supplementary Materials

Contents

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
TABLE OF CONTENTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	v
Introduction: “Le beau jeu nottable” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I: Chess, Morality, and Politics
Chapter 1. Chess in Medieval German Literature: A Mirror of Social-Historical and Cultural, Religious, Ethical, and Moral Conditions Albrecht Classen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
Chapter 2. Making Chess Politically and Socially Relevant in Times of Trouble in the Schacktavelslek Olle Ferm Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
Chapter 3. Ludus Scaccarii: Games and Governance in Twelfth-Century England Paul Milliman Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	63
Chapter 4. Defeating the Devil at Chess: A Struggle between Virtue and Vice in Le Jeu des esches de la dame moralisé Kristin Juel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
Part II: Women On and Off the Chessboard
Chapter 5. Medieval Chess, Perceval’s Education, and a Dialectic of Misogyny Jenny Adams Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
Chapter 6. Images of Medieval Spanish Chess and Captive Damsels in Distress Sonja Musser Golladay Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Chapter 7. How Did the Queen Go Mad? Mark N. Taylor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
Part III: Playing Games with Chess and Allegory
Chapter 8. Playing with Memory: The Chessboard as a Mnemonic Tool in Medieval Didactic Literature Amandine Mussou Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Chapter 9. Changing the Rules in and of Medieval Chess Allegories Daniel E. O’Sullivan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
Chapter 10. The Limits of Allegory in Jacobus de Cessolis’ De ludo scaccorum Dario Del Puppo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221
Selected Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	241
Notes on the Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	253
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Scholars, Departments, Libraries, General Public.
Pages
- Front matter: 6
- Main content: 257
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 25
Keywords: Chess; Medieval Literature; Medieval Culture; Early Modern Age

eBook

Published: July 30, 2012
ISBN: 9783110288810

Hardcover

Published: July 16, 2012
ISBN: 9783110288513