The Thief, the Cross, and the Wheel: Pain and the Spectacle of Punishment in Medieval and Renaissance Europe

Book Description

Christ's Crucifixion is one of the most recognized images in Western culture, and it has come to stand as a universal symbol of both suffering and salvation. But often overlooked is the fact that ultimately the Crucifixion is a scene of capital punishment. Mitchell Merback reconstructs the religious, legal, and historical context of the Crucifixion and of other images of public torture. The result is a fascinating account of a time when criminal justice and religion were entirely interrelated and punishment was a visual spectacle devoured by a popular audience.

Merback compares the images of Christ's Crucifixion with those of the two thieves who met their fate beside Jesus. In paintings by well-known Northern European masters and provincial painters alike, Merback finds the two thieves subjected to incredible cruelty, cruelty that artists could not depict in their scenes of Christ's Crucifixion because of theological requirements. Through these representations Merback explores the ways audiences in early modern Europe understood images of physical suffering and execution. The frequently shocking works also provide a perspective from which Merback examines the live spectacle of public torture and execution and how audiences were encouraged by the Church and the State to react to the experience. Throughout, Merback traces the intricate and extraordinary connections among religious art, devotional practice, bodily pain, punishment, and judicial spectatorship.

Keenly aware of the difficulties involved in discussing images of atrocious violence but determined to make them historically comprehensible, Merback has written an informed and provocative study that reveals the rituals of medieval criminal justice and the visual experiences they engendered.

Customer Reviews:

Not an easy read, erudite, but fascinating.......2005-10-04

This is not an easy read, but it is definitely worth the effort. It takes the development and representations of the crucifix in Medieval, early renaissance art - taking in the late 15th early 16th century and how the the public may have viewed it.

Given that executions were public in this period, the language of teh pictures, the symbolism and the emotions these pictures evoked would have different to how we see it now. Death is not a public spectacle.

The image of the crucifixion is also removed from our language in that we have less of an association with religion itself. It was a powerful centre society in this time.

I found the language of the book to more like that of an academic treatise rather than one of the readably approachable non-fiction books which are around now. It is a fairly difficult subject, I think, in a lesser fashion. The language of religious history and art necessarily needs to be accurately described.

The amazing thing about this book is that it really is a unique subject. Art history - the depiction of the crucifiction, the angesl, the symbolism, perspective and motif are examined alongside the representations of Pain itself. The function and language of religion are described along with the renderings of the understandings of society.

In the conclusion the artist asked about how, in our society today, we would render our own executions in art if we were to be made public. It really struck me in this conclusion, just how powerful his language was. I would not recommend this to everyone, but it is really worth the effort if you are interested in trying something that is completely different, erudite and interesting.

I was quite interested to see the author himself has written a review which is probably below this one somewhere and recommend you read that before you buy this book.

Theology, Art, Medieval Studies & Criminal Justice converge.......2000-12-19

This book is learned yet readable, of interest to scholars in a range of fields and disciplines. As one whose interest is death in Christian religious reflection and devotion, I found it fascinating to learn the connections between capital punishments as people actually witnessed them ("witnessed" is the right word- these were religious events as well as legal ones!) and the way the 2 thieves were portrayed in art intended to enhance devotional practice and imagination. Where is the viewer in the scenes of Calvary? The author answers this and many other questions, relating these to penitential practice, and the way bodies in pain were compassionately experienced during the heyday of pre-Reformation Europe. I recommend this book highly to scholars, but it makes grisly reading and leads us to question our own sensibilities and tolerance for different kinds of bodily display.

A few words from the author.......2000-09-13

Why are the doors of America's prisons suddenly swinging open and catering to our most base, voyeuristic impulses? How soon will it be before television cameras are allowed to move freely through the facilities of our nation's death-houses and bring us, live, into the death-chambers themselves? Will the current uncertainties about the "fairness" of capital punishment bring a halt to this process, or will America's proclivity to have "rough justice" done soon translate into a desire to SEE justice done, done before our eyes and in our living rooms? Will we soon see a new form of public execution--the criminal's death as media spectacle?

As an art historian who has always felt restless asking purely art-historical questions, I have long been fascinated by the notion that vision itself has a history, and that our capacities for visual experience are opened--but also disciplined--by the kinds of sights available to us. This book is about one kind of sight, the sight of violent death, seen and experienced within the context of the rituals of criminal justice in the Middle Ages. The visual material I've drawn together for this book is not, however, the same as that traditionally used by criminologists and legal historians to "illustrate" the history of capital punishment. Rather, my principle subject is the iconography of the Passion of Christ and its centrepiece, the scene of the Crucifixion. In the later Middle Ages (roughly 1300 until the German Reformation), northern European painters expanded the scenography of the Crucifixion with a riotous cast of characters, some with biblical credentials, others as pure invention. Somewhere between these two extremes were the figures of the Good Thief, Dysmas, and the Bad Thief, Gestas, who hang in hideous abjection, crucified, on either side of Christ. While both suffer horrible tortures--their limbs are often shattered and twisted around the cross-beams--one is redeemed, to join Jesus in Paradise, the other is damned eternally (see Luke 23). And painters visualized this difference in a stunning variety of ways (to see for yourself, go to the "See Larger Photo" cue next to the book's cover above, point and click).

Throughout the book I ask the question: what kind of sight did the spectacle of each antithetical character's death constitute for medieval viewers? Was this all just gratuitous violence, used only to attract the curiosity of people with a penchant for violence? Or did it serve another purpose, one commensurate with the larger purposes of religious imagery and indoctrination at this time?

As you can easily guess, I opt for the latter, and more complex, explanation--but I match it with another question, one that relates the experience of looking at the pain and suffering of another person in the fictionalized space of the religious image, and the lived experience of the seeing the same kind of sight in the public theatre of criminal justice. Rituals of punishment in the Middle Ages were carefully staged spectacles, one in which the authorities and the spectators, the executioner, the confessor and the victim all had special parts to play. Authorities hoped to impress upon spectators the majesty of the law; the church drew from the lamentable end of this "poor sinner" lessons about proper moral conduct; spectators hoped to see the criminal die a "good" (that is, confessed and shriven) Christian death; and the executioner did his tremulous best to carry out the sentence skillfully, or risk the fury of the populace, who saw mistakes and mishaps as ill-omens to be avenged. In its heydey (the later fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries), the medieval paradigm of criminal justice provided an opportunity for witnessing good and bad deaths, simple hangings, ceremonial decapitations, and the most horrific of all penalties, breaking with the wheel.

At the center of my book is the observation that many later medieval artists used the crucifixion of the Good Thief and the Bad Thief as a kind of screen, upon which they might project something of their experience as spectators in the theatre of public punishments. In particular, I find some shocking similarities between the bodily distortions imposed upon the Two Thieves in Passion imagery, and the medieval procedure for breaking with the wheel. Thus my title. There is a little discussion in the book about the procedures for both the medieval punishments and their ancient counterparts (archaeologists have a pretty clear picture of how the Romans must have crucified Jesus). But I hoped to make this book something more than an exercise in ghoulish antiquarianism, in stomaching the atrocious imagery of ages past or tracking obscure motifs through 1000 years of Christian art. Rather, by studying systems of punishment, to paraphrase the sociologist Emile Durkheim, we gain a privileged access into the deep structure of a society, and come to grasp its hidden, sometimes terrifying logic. How the history of visuality has played into the rise and fall of our own civilization's systems of punishment, and thus its regimes of domination, is my real subject. At the end of the book you'll see why.

Average customer rating:
The Thief the Cross and the Whee: Pain and the Spectacle of Punishment in Medieval and Renaissance Europe & Images and Relics: Theological Perceptions ... An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
Christopher F. Black
Manufacturer: Renaissance Society of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
Medieval | Movements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Renaissance | Movements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B0008HF3B6
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on September 22, 2000. The length of the article is 1244 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Thief the Cross and the Whee: Pain and the Spectacle of Punishment in Medieval and Renaissance Europe & Images and Relics: Theological Perceptions and Visual Images in Sixteenth-Century Europe.(Review)
Author: Christopher F. Black
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2000
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: 53 Issue: 3 Page: 897

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Three stunning Edward Gorey classics, available in one volume. Featuring a clever-but repeatedly ignored-little boy named Treehorn, these stories will delight readers of all ages.

In The Shrinking of Treehorn, Treehorn is clearly shrinking, and his parents aren't the least bit interested. Treehorn's Treasure shows what happens when the leaves on the backyard tree turn into dollar bills. And in Treehorn's Wish, our hero's parents neglect his birthday-but he finds a genie in a bottle, which changes things considerably. Treehorn's angst, and his whimsical schemes, come alive through Gorey's witty pen-and-ink drawings and drolly humorous text by noted author Florence Parry Heide. This beautifully-crafted, tongue-in-cheek omnibus is the perfect gift for collectors and fans of Edward Gorey.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Artwork and Literature.......2007-07-23

I loved these stories when I was younger! Both the stories and the artwork are bizarre yet intriguing -- I'm very glad to have all three of these books united in one hardback volume, along with the other Edward Gorey artwork I have come to admire.

My favorite of the three stories was "Treehorn's Treasure". A boy named Treehorn places his allowance into a hole in a tree, and the leaves of the tree slowly begin transforming into dollar bills, so Treehorn must decide what to do with his newfound wealth.

The book's binding/pages/printing are all of high quality. This is definitely a great item.

Book Description

How to Survive Your Baby’s First Year is here to help make that first year with a new baby a lot easier. The book offers advice from hundreds of parents who have made it through the first year with their own babies and lived to share the secrets of their success.

Customer Reviews:

Easy and good read.......2005-10-29

I don't have time to read a book cover-to-cover, so I appreciated 'How to Survive Your Baby's First Year'. I keep it on the night-table by my bed and read a few tips/stories every night. This book isn't meant to be an expert driven in-depth exploration of how to care for your baby. It's meant to share some good advice from real moms and dads on how to get through the first year with your new baby - and it does that well.

1st time mom.......2005-10-21

Somewhat entertaining, quick read, NOT informative. It was more about people sharing briefly their experiences than it was about actual useful tips. It's comforting to read about other parents going through similar challenges but you can read about that for free at one of those online newsletters [...] AND get some real, useful advice from other parents and experts in childcare. Not worth the money to get the book.

I won't be keeping this on my shelf for much longer.

Okay as a fun read..........2005-08-28

I think I got the wrong impression when I bought this book, I thought it would be a little more informative then it was. Most of the comments from other parents are "inspirational," not educational. I was looking for the book to actually give tips on infant care, but there was only a few of them that delivered on that thought. I think it is a good read only as entertainment.

Sister loved it!.......2005-03-05

It got this book for my pregnant sister, and she loved it! Said the stories were hilarious and touching, and the advice from everyday folks was fun and useful.

What to Read When You are Reading the "so called" experts.......2005-01-24

What a pleasant surprise. I was given this book and figured it would be like all the other baby books...i.e. they make you crazy. In the other books some expert tells you how exactly your child will develop and how you should respond. That's not real life.

Every child is different (as is every parent) and that is the strength of this book. The editors have interviewed hundreds of parents who have been through the same new born child experience. They share great and different advice. It is quite frankly a relief to know that there isn't just one way and that other parents share the doubts and experiences that the rest of us do. I highly recommend adding How to Survive Your Baby's First Year to your library.

Average customer rating:

fun book, great gift
Know a Nervous Dad to Be?
Reminds Me to Have a Sense of Humor About Life
No toy equals one star
My friends in Tulsa love it!

Dad'S Survival Guide To Babies
Hunter S. Fulghum
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Parenting & Families | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

ASIN: 0740717138

Book Description

A new baby's arrival demands a dad give up sports, lose sleep, operate diapers, placate his wife, and protect his coveted material possessions. But all is not lost! For newcomers to fatherhood, Dad's Survival Guide to Babies provides dads a light-hearted perspective on their parenting careers. With finesse, author Hunter S. Fulghum details what equipment-and attitudes-dads need to prepare for and survive their children's development from harmless (albeit noisy and needful) infants to irritable teens. Fulghum's book is an uproarious instruction manual for novice dads that even experienced fathers will find useful and funny. Fulghum's quick-witted insight eases dads from frightened lumps of nerves to nurturing and loving parents-with a hard-nosed edge that earns them the right to say "I told you so" when their children start families of their own.

Customer Reviews:

fun book, great gift.......2006-03-23

Purchased this book for my brother as he and his wife were preparing for their first child. Humorous book with truthful undertones. I made a daddy diaper belt for him as illustrated on the front cover and stuck the book inside one of the tool belt pouches. It made for a great gift.

Know a Nervous Dad to Be?.......2004-04-17

Right off the bat, you should know this book won't teach you anything you don't already know about babies. Your first hint should be the cover. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't read this book. It exagerates everything known about being a Dad and having a new edition to the family.

The best part of the book are the various lists, including, things to do before the baby is born; the newborn's schedule; equipment needed to change a diaper; and steps to changing a diaper. I laughed hard after each one.

This is a great gift for any dad-to-be. My wife purchased this copy from Amazon for me about two months prior to our due date--just about the time I was finishing all the "guy's guide to pregnancy" type books. It's great fun, and I'd recommend it as a light hearted gesture for any new dad.

Reminds Me to Have a Sense of Humor About Life.......2002-05-07

I really enjoyed this particular book. It was a funny look at the experience so many men have, and so many men have so little clue about. I dont' find the whole father deal so terrifying when I realize I can laugh about it - and I'm in good company.

It isn't Doctor Spock, true, but then he never made me smile or laugh.

No toy equals one star.......2002-04-27

I first purchased this book over a year ago ... and before I know it all of Tulsa is talking about how much I like babies. I deeply resent the invasion of my privacy. It is well known that I do not care for babies or "Daddy books" and only purchased my copy as an insulting gag gift for a friend of mine who has since decided against adoption. What's worse, unlike "Baby" Fulghum's other books, this one did not even come with one of those free toys. Total rip.

My friends in Tulsa love it!.......2002-04-27

Children are a joy and a blessing, but raising them can be a seemingly unending nightmare. So thank God for Robert Fulghum's uncommonly talented son Hunter. I grew up in family-oriented Tulsa, Oklahoma, but I learned nothing about child-rearing from the experience. A wise, slapstick-style child-rearing guide for my father might have changed so many things. Lucky for one and all that Hunter's diapers were changed by such a gifted, gifted man. Thank you, Fulghums!

Book Description

The now legendary character created by Leslie Charteris has survived nearly three-quarters of a century of perilous action and narrow escapes with nary a hair out of place nor the slightest jolt to his jauntily tipped halo. From his earliest days battling "crooks, blood suckers, traders in vice and damnation" (and cracking the occasional safe on the side), the Saint has captured the imaginations of millions.

Using the voluminous correspondence and writings of author Leslie Charteris and examining the many incarnations of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint," in other media, a detailed history emerges. Includes plot synopses of the radio and television programs, with air dates and production credits; descriptions of the movies and their credits; a bibliography, reviews of the books, and quotes from the principals.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended, but............2005-04-21

This book is indeed a good buy if you want to learn more about the character of The Saint and his creator Leslie Charteris. Most of the other reviewers already touched on the positive aspects of the book, but beware: It is not perfect!

The author had extensive access to Charteris' archives and at times comes across too much like the voice of The Saint's creator and takes his side too much. On the one hand, the Roger Moore TV series e.g. is not that bad; on the other hand - and quite frankly - the original Saint novels aren't always that good! A little bit of critical distance would have served the author much better.

Also, the book has an amazing 419 pages, though only 243 are proper text about the character in all its incarnations. The remaining 176 are appendices that primarily deal with extensive plot summaries of TV and radio shows. I am not a great fan of books that rely too heavily on synopsis to fill their pages.

Mind you, overall this *is* a book that can be recommended to anyone interested in this pulp hero, but please beware of the caveats.

Absolutely Complete.......2000-08-08

Burl Barer really captures everything about the Saint in this book. It is a huge source of information, and everytime I read it I find out something new!

Phenomenal!.......1996-12-10

Even if you aren't a fan of the Saint, you should still buy this book. It's a remarkable, inside account of how a character is translated into books, comics, radio, tv and film. A must-have for anyone thinking of breaking into publishing, tv or film

Burl really captures The Saint.......1996-10-08

Burl Barer's book on the history of The Saint is "the source" for Saint fans yearning for more information about The Saint. It is a must-have for Saint fans, and makes for an excellent read, even for those detectivish fans who don't really know much about Simon Templar or Leslie Charteris to start with...

The definitive book on Leslie Charteris and the Saint.......1996-05-21

Burl Barer's examination of Leslie charteris' THE SAINT in books, TV, comics and film, more than deserved the Edgar Award it was given by the Mystery Writers of America. If you are a fan of Simon Templar, you have to buy this book

Book Description

This unique, best-selling series features quotes gathered over the years from family, friends, and the artists themselves giving the reader a personal insight into their music and world. Fully illustrated throughout with black and white photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Starting A Dylan Book Collection?.......2003-02-01

This is really a (the) great book for the base of a Dylan book
collection. Each of the 112 pages comprising this paperback
has at least one photograph, and many pages have two or three!
In my mind the pictures alone are worth a binding of their own. They
include many of his co-workers, and famous peers. After looking
at all of them for the first time, you really get a "feel" for
the environment in which he has been working (living) for the
last 30 - 40 years.

The entire collection of quotes (quotes and pictures are all you get, folks)
are catagorized by a plethora of topics, which enables quick referencing,
so you really should learn ALOT about his PERSONALITY.
I say "personality" because the quotes are in
conversational mode, candid, ranginging from silly quips and
understatements to very sincere and thoughtful comments; the way
I imagine he shares with intimates. This is not a stilted,
unemotional, professional collection of aphorisms, and I feel better informed
as a result.

A must for any Dylan fan.......2001-11-12

Bob Dylan fans will enjoy this book that features over 100 pages of Dylan quotes on subjects ranging from music, the 60's, drugs, love, his idols, songwriting, and more. Everybody knows that Dylan was a wily and occasionally malicious interviewee, and this book reflects that. I laughed out loud several times at his witticisms directed back at the hollow questiosn that were put to him. However, there are some very pointed answers that he serves up here as well, that seemingly give a real insight into his persona, his life, and his views. There are also a lot of high-quality pictures. My only complaint is that the book is a little short-you can easily read it all in one setting, though it's probably a book that you'll go back to time and again to see what Dylan offered up on a particular subject-it would have been nice, for instance, if it had a section where Dylan commented upon particular songs of his, such as was done in the Leonard Cohen book in the "In His Own Words" series. Still, Dylan interviews are always hard to come by, and this is the best copendium you'll find featuring them.

Best Interview Book Around -- Fun.......2000-06-12

This book contains a compilation of Dylan's own words, transcribed from interviews, press conferences, radio, and TV shows. Complete with scores of pictures, In His Own Words is a must for any Dylan fan. Dylan dons persona after persona, and the results are quite entertaining.

Hillarious--the most fun Bob book.......1999-09-25

A must for any Bob Dylan fan, this book contains an ecclectic collection of Dylan's responses to reporters and others.

Average customer rating:

BOB DYLAN IN HIS OWN WORDS
Bob * Barry Miles Dylan
Manufacturer: Quick Fox
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JJOJE0

Book Description

This inside looks at the early glory days of hold'em, playing in smoky backrooms with legends such as Titanic Thompson and Doyle Brunson. Get a look at vintage Las Vegas when Cowboy's friend, Benny Binion ruled Glitter Gulch and ride along with the road gamblers as they faded the white line from Dallas to Shreveport to Houston in the 1960s in search of games. Read fascinating yarns about life on the rough and tumble, and colorful adventures as a road gambler; feel the fear and frustration of being hijacked, getting arrested for playing poker, and having to outwit card sharps and scam artists. Wolford survived it all to win a gold bracelet at the World Series playing with poker greats Amarillo Slim Preston, Johnny Moss and 1978 World Champion, Bobby Baldwin. Wolford also won 30 rodeo belt buckles. Baldwin says, Cowboy is probably the best gambling story teller in the world.

Book Description

Master story teller Cowboy Wolford, who passed away in 2003, has preserved a major part of the histories of poker and rodeo in this fast-moving and colorful account of his adventures on the pro rodeo circuit from 1950-1960, followed by his exploits on the pro poker "road" circuit from 1960-1990. Nobody tells a better story than the ol' cowboy who won the calf roping championship at the Calgary Stampede two years in a row and, a decade later, pulled off the most famous bluff ever recorded at final table of the $10,000 championship event at the World Series of Poker. This books is endorsed by just about every "name" in poker, including Bobby Baldwin, Jack Binion, and Doyle Brunson.

Average customer rating:
Essentials of Contemporary Management with Student CD-ROM
Gareth R Jones , Jennifer M George , Gareth Jones , and Jennifer George
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Leadership Is an Art

The Study of Social Problems: Seven Perspectives

Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills (9th Edition)

Social Problems and the Quality of Life with OLC

Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations

ASIN: 0072874236

Book Description

Jones and George are dedicated to the challenge of "Making It Real" for students. As a team, they are uniquely qualified to write about the organizational challenges facing today's managers. No other author team in the management discipline matches their combined research and text-writing experience. Essentials of Management concisely surveys current management theories and research. Through a variety of real world examples from small, medium, and large companies the reader learns how those ideas are used by practicing managers. The organization of this text follows the mainstream functional approach of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling; but the content is flexible and encourages instructors to use the organization they are most comfortable with. The themes of diversity, ethics, and information technology are clearly evident through in-text examples, photographs, "unboxed" stories, and the end-of-chapter material – all areas of importance that truly serve to bring to life the workplace realities that today's student will encounter in the course of a career.

Essentials of Contemporary Management with Student CD-ROM

Average customer rating:

Essentials of Contemporary Management with Student CD-ROM
Jennifer M. George, Gareth Jones, Jennifer George Gareth R. Jones
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGLOL4

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books