The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages

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With unabashed directness, a delicate touch of wit, and constant humanity, Katherine Harvey surveys the world of medieval sex and sexuality . Large and loose breasts suggested ample sexual experience and that impression might damage a single woman’s reputation. As Harvey mentions in the beginning of her book, programs such as Game of Thrones make out individuals of the past to be inhumane with sexual violence running rampant when the reality of the situation is much more complicated.

I can't think of a more brilliant Christmas book to give to one's significant other if they have even a passing interest in medieval Europe or the rich and extraordinary sex life of its inhabitants.

The book begins by putting the subject of sex into context of the wider world of the time period, which I think is one of the best things this book did; it’s a lot easier to understand some of the topics under discussion when you have a better idea of how they viewed sex and relationships in general. Stain that surviving record with occasionally virulent misogyny and to what extent the complicated and contradictory picture that emerges reflects the real experiences of people has to be in doubt.

This lively, engaging study combines a scholarly rigour with a sharp eye for telling detail, told in a fluid style that keeps the pages turning. Some of it the content is bleak, of course; the chapters focusing on sex work and sexual violence, in particular, make for difficult reading. There is no better guide to what occurs betwixt the sheets of the medieval bedroom than Katherine Harvey. For example, the book briefly cite evidence from Siete Partidas without definition or introduction or context about the text.

Anybody going into this with a notion of the middle ages as "The Dark Ages" will hopefully begin to realise how misinformed they were. an expansive, accessible and highly engaging account of what we do – and don't – know about western European sexual culture in the Middle Ages.

It’s an obvious but confronting thought that uncountable millions of people have lived and died without leaving the slightest trace. As an overview the section zips over this vast field, tending to focus on the more well-known ribald and obscene examples. They also struggled with many of the same social issues, such as whether prostitution should be legalized. Her book deals mainly with the years 1100 to 1500, leaving out the first five hundred years of the Middle Ages with the evidence tending to privilege the later part of her period.

These Roman girls were the heroines of highly formulaic tales in which they converted to Christianity against the wishes of their pagan families and died in defence of their faith and their virginity, often after undergoing extreme physical and mental trials. Despite the prohibition on clerical marriage, many priests continued to have sexual relationships and even formed long-term partnerships.