Games and Gaming in Medieval Literature

The first-of-its-kind, Games and Gaming in Medieval Literature explores the depth and breadth of games in medieval literature and culture. Chapters span from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries, and cover England, France, Denmark, Poland, and Spain, re-examining medieval games in diverse social settings such as the church, court, and household.

"This diverse and accessible collection takes on games and gaming in the European Middle Ages in various but complementary ways: by putting them in their historical context, by close readings of literary texts, and by bringing contemporary game theory to bear on the history of games. Game theorists who have focused exclusively on games in the digital age will learn a good deal about their analog history. Games and Gaming in Medieval Literature is a fine contribution to cultural game theory." - Kathleen Coyne Kelly, Professor of English, Northeastern University, USA

"In this comprehensive and exciting new collection, Serina Patterson presents a wealth of cutting-edge scholarship centered around medieval games, gaming, and play. These interdisciplinary essays cover a vast and impressive geographical and chronological sweep, and are truly path-breaking in their insistence on the fruitful comparison of medieval and modern gaming practices. Patterson's own work, and the collection more broadly, demonstrate some of the best work being undertaken in the area of medieval game studies today." - Emma Cayley, Head of Modern Languages and Associate Professor of Medieval French, University of Exeter, UK

"Games are serious business, and the essays in Serina Patterson's Games and Gaming in Medieval Literature chart exciting new territory in interrogating the porous boundaries between games, gaming, and 'real' life and provide dynamic new readings in surveying a wide variety of game texts and ludic activities from across Europe in the later Middle Ages. This provocative anthology brings well-known texts into clearer focus and gives lesser-known texts new weight." - Daniel Kline, Chair and Professor of English, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA

Robert Bubczyk, Maria Curie-Sk?odowska University, Poland Nicholas Orme, University of Exeter, UK Daniel E. O'Sullivan, University of Mississippi, USA Tamsyn Rose-Steel, Johns Hopkins University, USA Jenny Adams, University of Massachusetts, USA Nora Corrigan, Mississippi University for Women, USA Kimberly Bell, Sam Houston State University, USA Juan Ecourido, University of Pennsylvania, USA Betsy McCormick, Mount San Antonio College, USA