The Ties That Bound

The Ties That Bound:  Peasant Families In Medieval England by Barbara A. Hanawalt

A meticulous look at peasant life in the 14th and 15th century.  With rigorous attention to what sources point to what -- which can get just a touch ghoulish, because one major source of information is inquests, describing what people were doing at the time of their deaths, and how the corpse came to be found.

( Read more... )

inventing a religion

The muse has a story, and it has knights.  Not samurai, not kshatriya, knights, in shining armor, even if it's chain mail and not plate.

(Note to the curious:  a good knight wears shining armor because he keeps it in good shape, without rust.)

( Read more... )