The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought

Beyond The Boundaries Of The Known Christian World During The Middle Ages There Were Alien Cultures That Intrigued Puzzled And Sometimes Frightened The People Of Europe. The Reports Of Travelers In Africa And Asia Revealed That Monstrous Races Of Men Lived There Whose Appearance And Customs Were Quite Different From The European Norm. This Book Examines The Impact Of These Races Upon Western Art Literature And Philosophy From Their Earliest Mention Until The Age Of Exploration. Friedman Furnishes A Descriptive Catalog Of The Races Most Of Which Were Real Geographically Remote Peoples Some Of Which Were Fabled Creatures That Served As Symbols. He Traces The Evolution Of European Attitudes Toward Them With Particular Emphasis On The High Middle Ages When They Seem Most Strongly To Have Captured The Western Imagination. Ranging Through Literature The Arts Cartography Canon Law And Theology He Considers The Widely Varying Ways In Which Christians Viewed And Depicted Strange Races Of Men. Finally He Examines Transformations In European Consciousness Brought About By The Discoveries Of The Exotic Peoples Of The Americas. Whatever Their Form—Pygmy Giant Hirsute Cave—Dweller Cyclops Or Amazon-The Monstrous Races Clearly Challenged The Traditional Concept Of Man In The Christian World Scheme. It Is The Medieval Thinking About This Challenge That Mr. Friedman Addresses In This Revealing Account.