In the Late Middle Ages, particularly in German-speaking lands, the perception of giants underwent a notable transformation—from monstrous and malevolent figures to noble and heroic ones. This book explores numerous examples where giants, and those considered “gigantic,” evolved into celebrated hometown heroes.
Excerpt:
Why did these creatures, which had ostensibly been obliterated in the Flood, suddenly emerge in the center of the late medieval city? Why did they so captivate the late medieval imagination? What was their relationship to other mirabilia of the medieval and ancient world?
The book sets out to explore the functions and cultural concerns that were visualized and manifested through the figures of giants in later medieval public art, both sacred and profane. I will argue that representations of giants, especially as colossi, aroused the “colossus imagination” in viewers: namely, the range of cultural associations and expectations that the material, medium, and topic evokes.
Who is this book for?
It might be surprising to think of the giants as an overlooked aspect of medieval culture, but this book goes over new ground in detailing how these figures get a makeover in the Late Middle Ages. Even figures like Roland and St. Christopher serve as giants in certain cities. Historians of late medieval Germany will be the ones most interested in this book (there is also a chapter concerning London), as will those interested in cultural aspects of the period.
The Author
Assaf Pinkus is Professor of Art History at Tel Aviv University. Some of the later chapters were written by some of his colleagues, namely Noeit Williger Aviam, Orly Amit and Michal Ozeri.
Giants in the Medieval City
By Assaf Pinkus
Brepols
ISBN: 978-2-503-60768-9
In the Late Middle Ages, particularly in German-speaking lands, the perception of giants underwent a notable transformation—from monstrous and malevolent figures to noble and heroic ones. This book explores numerous examples where giants, and those considered “gigantic,” evolved into celebrated hometown heroes.
Excerpt:
Why did these creatures, which had ostensibly been obliterated in the Flood, suddenly emerge in the center of the late medieval city? Why did they so captivate the late medieval imagination? What was their relationship to other mirabilia of the medieval and ancient world?
The book sets out to explore the functions and cultural concerns that were visualized and manifested through the figures of giants in later medieval public art, both sacred and profane. I will argue that representations of giants, especially as colossi, aroused the “colossus imagination” in viewers: namely, the range of cultural associations and expectations that the material, medium, and topic evokes.
Who is this book for?
It might be surprising to think of the giants as an overlooked aspect of medieval culture, but this book goes over new ground in detailing how these figures get a makeover in the Late Middle Ages. Even figures like Roland and St. Christopher serve as giants in certain cities. Historians of late medieval Germany will be the ones most interested in this book (there is also a chapter concerning London), as will those interested in cultural aspects of the period.
The Author
Assaf Pinkus is Professor of Art History at Tel Aviv University. Some of the later chapters were written by some of his colleagues, namely Noeit Williger Aviam, Orly Amit and Michal Ozeri.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
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