Essays in this fascinating and important collection examine the lifestyles and attitudes of the gentry in late medieval England. They consider the emergence of the gentry as a group distinct from the nobility, and explore the various available routes to gentility. Through surveys of the gentry's military background, administrative and political roles, social behaviour, and education, the reader is provided with an overview of how the group's culture evolved, and how it was disseminated. Studies of the gentry's literacy, creation and use of literature, cultural networks, religious activities and their experiences of music and the visual arts more directly address the practice and expression of this culture, exploring the extent to which the gentry's activities were different from those of the wider population.

Joining the editors in contributing essays to this collection is an impressive array of eminent scholars, all specialists in their respective fields: Christine Carpenter, Peter Fleming, Maurice Keen, Philippa Maddern, Nicholas Orme, Tim
Shaw, Thomas Tolley and Deborah Youngs.

As a whole, the book offers a broad view of gentry culture that explores, reassesses, and sometimes even challenges the idea that members of the gentry cultivated their own distinctive cultural identity. It will appeal to students looking for a comprehensive introduction to late medieval gentry culture, as well as to researchers interested in gentry studies more generally.

About the Author

Raluca Radulescu is Lecturer in Medieval Literature and Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Wales, Bangor

Alison Truelove is an independent researcher

Book Information
ISBN 9780719068256
Author Raluca Radulescu
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publisher Manchester University Press
Weight(grams) 281g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 138mm * 13mm