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Dick Grayson--alter-ego of the original Robin of Batman comics--has gone through various changes in his 75 years as a superhero but has remained the optimistic, humorous character readers first embraced in 1940. Predating Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, he is one of DC Comics' oldest heroes and retains a large and loyal fanbase. The first scholarly work to focus exclusively on the Boy Wonder, this collection of new essays features critical analysis, as well as interviews with some of the biggest names to study Dick Grayson, including Chuck Dixon, Devin Grayson and Marv Wolfman. The contributors discuss his vital place in the Batman saga, his growth and development into an independent hero, Nightwing, and the many storyline connections which put him at the center of the DC Universe. His character is explored in the contexts of feminism, trauma, friendship, and masculinity.
This book examines the lives and tenures of the consorts of the Plantagenet dynasty during the later Middle Ages, encompassing two major conflicts—the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of the Roses. The figures in this volume include well-known consorts such as the “She Wolves” Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou, as well as queens who are often overlooked, such as Philippa of Hainault and Joan of Navarre. These innovative and authoritative biographies bring a fresh approach to the consorts of this period—challenging negative perceptions created by complex political circumstances and the narrow expectations of later writers, and demonstrating the breadth of possibilities in later medieval queenship. Their conclusions shed fresh light on both the politics of the day and the wider position of women in this age. This volume and its companions reveal the changing nature of English consortship from the Norman Conquest to today.
This book offers a comprehensive, biography-led examination of queenship in England between 850 and 1000, tracing the development of the queen’s role from bed companion to institutional office. The period 850–1000 is critical to the development of English queenship. In the aftermath of viking invasion, the kings of Wessex expanded their hegemony over neighbouring regions, gradually establishing themselves as the kings of England. Parallel to this broad narrative of political change is the lesser-known story, told in this book, of the royal women who took part in it. The lives of three remarkable women – Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and the West Saxon consorts Eadgifu and Ælfthry...
Emma O. Bérat shows the centrality of women's legacies to medieval political and literary thought in chronicles, hagiography, and genealogy.
This book examines discourses around infertility and views of childlessness in medieval and early modern Europe. Whereas in our own time reproductive behaviour is regulated by demographic policy in the interest of upholding the intergenerational contract, premodern rulers strove to secure the succession to their thrones and preserve family heritage. Regardless of status, infertility could have drastic consequences, above all for women, and lead to social discrimination, expulsion, and divorce. Rather than outlining a history of discrimination against or the suffering of infertile couples, this book explores the mechanisms used to justify the unequal treatment of persons without children. Exploring views on childlessness across theology, medicine, law, demonology, and ethics, it undertakes a comprehensive examination of ‘fertility’ as an identity category from the perspective of new approaches in gender and intersectionality research. Shedding light on how premodern views have shaped understandings our own time, this book is highly relevant interest to students and scholars interested in discourses around infertility across history.
A great deal of scholarship has focused on Joss Whedon's television and film work, which includes Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers. But Whedon's work in the world of comics has largely been ignored. He created his own dystopian heroine, Fray, assembled the goofy fannish heroes of Sugarshock, and wrote arcs for Marvel's Astonishing X-Men and Runaways. Along with The Avengers, Whedon's contributions to the cinematic Universe include: script doctoring the first X-Men film, writing a ground-shaking Wonder Woman screenplay, and co-creating ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Today, Whedon continues the Buffy and Firefly stories with innovative comics that shatter the rules of storytelling and force his characters to grow through life-altering conflicts. This collection of new essays focuses on Whedon's comics work and its tie-ins with his film and television productions, emphasizing his auteurism in crossing over from panel to screen to panel. Essays focus on the comic inspirations and subversive tropes of the Whedonverse, as well as character changes and new interpretations.
This book examines the emergence of the queen consort in medieval England, beginning with the pre-Conquest era and ending with death of Margaret of France, second wife of Edward I, in 1307. Though many of the figures in this volumes are well known, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor of Castille, the chapters here are unique in the equal consideration given to the tenures of the lesser known consorts, including: Adeliza of Louvain, second wife of Henry I; Margaret of France, wife of Henry the Young King; and even Isabella of Gloucester, the first wife of King John. These innovative and thematic biographies highlight the evolution of the office of the queen and the visible roles that consorts played, which were integral to the creation of the identity of early English monarchy. This volume and its companions reveal the changing nature of English consortship from the Norman Conquest to today.
Writing Plague: Language and Violence from the Black Death to COVID-19 brings a holistic and comparative perspective to “plague writing” from the later Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. It argues that while the human “hardware” has changed enormously between the medieval past and the present (urbanization, technology, mass warfare, and advances in medical science), the human “software” (emotional and psychological reactions to the shock of pandemic) has remained remarkably similar across time. Through close readings of works by medieval writers like Guillaume de Machaut, Giovanni Boccaccio, and Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century, select plays by Shakespeare, and mo...
This book offers the first dedicated and comprehensive examination of the lives of nearly thirty women known to occupy the office of queen in the English kingdoms between 650 and 850. The queens of early England are often shadowy figures in the historical record, beset by numerous issues which have largely confined them to the margins of history. Through careful analysis, the volume presents a ground-breaking appraisal of the role of queens in early England, and how their actions and identities shaped their practice of queenship. Organised thematically, it offers an overview of queens in many different roles, such as agents of Christianity, mothers, and peace-weavers. From high profile queens such as Æthelthryth of Ely and Cynethryth of Mercia, to the shadowy Leofrun of East Anglia and the nameless queen of Anna of East Anglia, the book engages with sources to advance fuller narratives about even the most obscure queens of the era. Aided by resources such as genealogical tables, Early English Queens, 650–850 is an ideal resource for students and scholars at all levels, as well general readers, interested in the lives of queens and early English history.
Deposing Monarchs analyses depositions in Northern Europe between 1500 and 1700 as a type of frequent political conflict which allows to present new ideas on early modern state formation, monarchy, and the conventions of royal rulership. The book revises earlier conceptualizations of depositions as isolated, unique events that emerged in the context of national historiographies. An examination of the official legitimations of depositions reveals that in times of crisis, concepts of tradition, rule of law, and political consensus are much more influential than the divine right of kings. Tracing the similarities and differences of depositions in Northern Europe transnationally and diachronical...