The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages

The third edition of The Beast Within has been updated to include current scholarship, new discussions of definitions, and fresh perspectives on critical animal theory that place animals at the center of the discourse. It is organized thematically and includes new sections and subsections on domestication, animal diseases and pandemics, dogfights, cockfights, Islamic dietary restrictions, menageries and zoos, and animals as entertainers. The book demonstrates that the lines between humans and animals have become increasingly blurred from the fourth to the twenty-first century.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 10 March 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The third edition of The Beast Within has undergone a comprehensive update to incorporate the latest scholarship, explore new definitions, and offer fresh perspectives on critical animal theory, which centers animals rather than humans in the discourse. The book is organized thematically, covering various aspects of the relationship between humans and animals, including domestication, animal diseases and pandemics, dogfights, cockfights, Islamic dietary restrictions, menageries and zoos, and animals as entertainers. To demonstrate how modern concerns have been influenced by medieval precedents, the book has expanded sections to uncover medieval understandings of animal sexuality, animals before the law, and vegetarianism, as well as modern "fake meat." The logical narrative concludes with chapters on "Animals as Humans" and "Humans as Animals," highlighting how the lines between humans and animals have become increasingly blurred over the centuries, from the fourth to the twenty-first century.

The Beast Within adopts an interdisciplinary approach, discussing humans and animals in relation to domestication, symbolism, science, law, religion, food and diet, sexuality, and entertainment. It serves as an essential resource for students of animal history, literature, and art in the Middle Ages, providing a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the complex and multifaceted relationship between humans and animals during this period.

Weight: 362g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032149493
Edition number: 3 ed