Night in the Middle Ages, 2002, 224 p., br. -

The contemporary world is uncomfortable with night, more precisely with night it has not domesticated with electricity. What was it like in the Middle Ages when darkness was nearly unbroken from the setting to the rising of the sun ? In Night and the Middle Ages renowned medievalist Jean Verdon offers an answer to this intriguing question. His book - filled with fascinating stories that capture events of the medieval night, from the ordinary to the fantastic - include a cast ranging from Louis d'Orléans and Chrétien de Troyes to monks and workers. The book describes the dark activities that are masked by the cloak of the night. Murders, robberies, betrayal and licentious behaviour all figure prominently in this set of stories. Fantasy forces of evil such as witches, werewolves, and even Satan himself are also discussed. verdon depicts how medieval sociéty tried to tame the night through architecture, improved lighting methods, armed night patrols, watchmen, and curfews. Finally, Verdon turns his attention to sublime night when people were visited by visions and divine light. He suggests that the medieval world was better equipped by religion than the modern world to deal with the darkness of the night. Appearing for the first time in an english translation, Night and the Middle Ages is a lively and entertaining cultural history.