The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages

Product Information

Harvey notes that “According to the other monks, the elderly pair spent much of their time reading in the kitchen. There is no better guide to what occurs betwixt the sheets of the medieval bedroom than Katherine Harvey. A lively and readable account rooted in a deep knowledge of the scholarly literature on sexuality in medieval western Europe. One of the best known was St Agnes, a thirteen-year-old girl who faced torments including imprisonment in a brothel and a miraculously unsuccessful burning before she was eventually stabbed to death.

It’s so tempting to think we’ve advanced as a society, but so many of the things I thought of as backwards in this book are still held as “true” by a good number of people these days.Katherine Harvey does a good job at dismantling modern misconceptions and stereotypes, and has a real eye for vivid anecdotes, such as using surnames—Simon Fukkebotere, William Smallfuk, and Roger Fuckbythenavele to name but a few—to show how the English verb 'to fuck' shifted in meaning from 'to strike or beat' to its modern meaning by the fifteenth century. There were some moments, like referring to Harvey Weinstein as Harry, that held it back from 5 star. In the eleventh century, the virgin king emerged as a significant figure; Edward the Confessor, the English king whose death without issue in 1066 led to the Norman Conquest, is probably the best known.

These Roman girls were the heroines of highly formulaic tales in which they converted to Christianity against the wishes of their pagan families and died in defence of their faith and their virginity, often after undergoing extreme physical and mental trials. I appreciate that Harvey did not sensationalise any of these topics, keeping descriptions of these events brief and non-graphic.I can’t think of more brilliant Christmas book to give to one’s significant other if they have even a passing interest in medieval Europe or the rich and extraordinary sex life of its inhabitants. The French poet Eustache Deschamps (1346-1406) favored tight dresses with wide necklines that pushed the bosom and throat forward.

Mary Magdalene, in most scholarly opinions, was a repentant prostitute who became a follower of Jesus.Large and loose breasts suggested ample sexual experience and that impression might damage a single woman’s reputation.

This means we get an image of extreme violence and idealised stereotypes, respectively, and rarely get a glimpse into what “regular sex” would have been like. The Australian ‘This lively, engaging study combines a scholarly rigour with a sharp eye for telling detail, told in a fluid style that keeps the pages turning.She holds a PhD in Medieval History from Kings College London and has published widely on medieval topics, including sexuality, gender, emotions and the body. The Virgin Mary seemed to have a particular weakness for sexual sinners, and collections of her miracles often include stories of fornicators who were saved by her intervention; the Castilian priest Gonzalo de Berceo (c. Harvey provides evidence that priestly chastity was honored as much in the breach as the observance. Not sure if it was just my narrator, but in the mention of the Me Too movement in the conclusion, the UK audiobook says "Harry Weinstein" instead of "Harvey"? Fornication was forbidden, though tolerated given what all accepted as the wayward passions of youth.