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The reissue of Joseph and Frances Gies's classic bestseller on life in medieval villages. This new reissue of Life in a Medieval Village, by respected historians Joseph and Frances Gies, paints a lively, convincing portrait of rural people at work and at play in the Middle Ages. Focusing on the village of Elton, in the English East Midlands, the Gieses detail the agricultural advances that made communal living possible, explain what domestic life was like for serf and lord alike, and describe the central role of the church in maintaining social harmony. Though the main focus is on Elton, c. 1300, the Gieses supply enlightening historical context on the origin, development, and decline of the European village, itself an invention of the Middle Ages. Meticulously researched, Life in a Medieval Village is a remarkable account that illustrates the captivating world of the Middle Ages and demonstrates what it was like to live during a fascinating--and often misunderstood--era.… (more)
User reviews
The main reason was that the first part of the book seemed to me very dull, tedious and rather slow. As a history student I shoud be
Thankfully though, the book becomes a little more lively after the first 60 pages or so and the authors were back on form with thier informative and engaging historical narrative.
The chapters on Law and Order in the village, and 'The Parish' were particularly good, and the latter I especially enjoyed, and also liked the way that it made the subject seem far less complicated.
The only other objection that I had was that some of the attitides and interpretations of the authors did seem a little outdated (or else I simply did not agree with some of them), but since the book was first published in the 1970s this is probably to be expected.