Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Hindley paints a picture of magic’s place in medieval England, producing an eye-opening study of ‘words at their most powerful’ . . . that promise[s] to change the way we think about magic in the medieval world.” -- Mary Flannery * Times Literary Supplement *
"A thought-provoking look at the distinctive ways medieval English people viewed language [that] intrigues. It’s an enlightening deep dive." * Publishers Weekly *
“Hindley carefully and fruitfully rethinks what charms tell us about written and oral aspects of culture, drawing on a wonderfully abundant collection of source material from a period in which charms proliferated but were often kept secret. A valuable contribution to the history of magic, her book sheds light on both an impressively diverse archive and the implications of their textuality.” -- Richard Kieckhefer, Northwestern University
“Hindley guides readers through the complete history of spoken and written charms in medieval England with seasoned ease. Through close readings and the latest archaeological insights,
Textual Magic offers an indispensable introduction to medieval English charms, packed with examples in both their original language and modern English translation.” -- Lea Olsan, University of Louisiana at Monroe
“
Textual Magic is a significant new work in medieval studies, generously illustrated with images and transcriptions of charm texts. In particular, Hindley’s focus on the instructions accompanying charms and her awareness of their multilingual contexts are welcome additions to the literature on verbal charms.” -- Jonathan Roper, University of Tartu
Table of ContentsList of Boxes
Note on Translation and Transcription
Abbreviations
Introduction Reading, Writing, and Charming
Chapter 1 The Powers of Charm-Words and Relics
Chapter 2 Before 1100: “Textual Magic” in Pre-Conquest England
Chapter 3 1100 to 1350: Charm Language and the Boundaries of Text
Chapter 4 1350 to 1500: “A Fayre Charme on Englysh”
Conclusion The Changing Power of Words
Acknowledgments
Manuscripts Cited
Works Cited
Index
