Includes bibliographical references (pages 208-222) and index.
Contents:
Index. Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. The future of the past : Medieval literature on display -- 1. Medievalism and memory -- 2. Adapting medieval narratives -- 3. A knight at the museum : Medieval literature and/as local heritage at the Museum Wolfram von Eschenbach -- 4. The machinery of myth : The Nibelung Museum and the interrogation of cultural memory -- 5. Presencing the narrative past : Old structures, new stories? -- 6. The future of the past : Medieval literature on display -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.
Summary:
"How is the medieval world depicted today? Two German museums serve as case studies for a vibrant, imaginative, and provocative enactment of twenty-first century medievalism : the Museum Wolfram von Eschenbach in Wolframs Eschenbach (1995) and the Nibelung Museum in Worms (2001). Emerging around the turn of the 20th century, the museums explore medieval German literature, cultural memory and local history. As the museums reconstruct and transform medieval narratives for the contemporary audience, they enact the process of medievalism : they reveal how memory, through the lens of the Middle Ages, shapes modern cultural identity and heritage. 'Medieval Literature on Display' thereby contributes to important conversations about medievalism's role in constructing and affirming cultural identity, in conceptualizing and finding places for the future of the past. This unique book is vital reading for scholars of medieval literature and historians of medieval Europe, as well as scholars of visual culture and Museum Studies."--taken from back cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.