Utz, Le Lostec Co-author Essay on Middle Ages and Nationalism

Posted January 18, 2022

Richard Utz, professor of medievalism studies in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication and associate dean for faculty development in Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and Anne-Françoise Le Lostec, lecturer of German and French in the School of Modern Languages, co-authored an essay published in the French volume FAKE MOYEN ÂGE! ou comment le Moyen Âge est imaginé à travers les films,la bande dessinée, les jeux vidéo, la pop culture [FAKE MIDDLE AGES! or how the Middle Ages are imagined through movies, comics, video games, pop culture].

The essay, titled “Moyen Âge et nationalisme” [The Middle Ages and nationalism], highlights the various patriotic and nationalist uses of imagined versions of the European Middle Ages from the 19^th through the 21^st century. It surveys examples from architecture, art, literature, politics, and religion in Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States.

The volume includes 26 contributions on how contemporary media reinvent the Middle Ages. It is available for purchase at lulu.com and accompanies an exhibit at the Médiathèque Xaintrie Val'Dordogne in France, which will open on Feb. 5.