The Black Death

by Rosemary Horrox

Book Overview

This series provides texts central to medieval studies courses and focuses upon the diverse cultural, social and political conditions that affected the functioning of all levels of medieval society. Translations are accompanied by introductory and explanatory material and each volume includes a comprehensive guide to the sources' interpretation, including discussion of critical linguistic problems and an assessment of recent research on the topics...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0719034981
• ISBN13: 9780719034985
• Release Date: August 1994
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Very good book about the Black Death

Very good information and analysis of the plague episodes and effects on society all over the world.

An outstanding collection of contemporary accounts

Horrox has collected and translated dozens of first-hand accounts of the Black Death of 1348 - 1350. The first quarter of the book is comprised of narrative accounts of the arrival and devastation of the plague, from its arrival in Italy to its spread into Britain. The middle half shows the various responses (medical, religious and scientific) to the mortality, the final quarter of the book examining its reprocussions. All of the accounts presented here are from eye-witnessess to the terrible virulence and mortality of the Black Death. Although the majority of the documents are from Britain, there is a tremendous amount of similarity among them - the fear, shock, sadness and sense of fatalism as the disease ravaged Europe and the panic and social and economic dislocation that resulted. As a historian, I was fascinated; lay readers will almost certainly be similarly riveted by these accounts and the eerily familiar tone of the voices.

The Plague: Up-close and Personal

I agree with the excellent review already listed here, but I would like to add that the value of the book for a more casual reader (like myself) is having the opportunity to read the reactions to and observation of the plague by people who lived through this terrible period. The reality of their words heightened the reality of the period for me. It is true that some parts of the book were a bit too dense for me (some of the allusions went right over my head), but the rest of the book provides a wonderful insight into the minds and souls of real human beings who still have much to say to those of us living centuries later. Highly recommended--and not just for scholars.

An invaluable text

From 1348 to 1350 Europe was devastated by an epidemic that left between one third and one half of the population dead. Using contemporary writings, this collection of sources traces the calamitous impact of the Black Death in Europe, with particular emphasis on its spread across England from 1348 to 1349. Rosemary Horrox surveys contemporary responses to the plague. The almost universal belief that the plague was an expression of divine anger at the sins of humankind did not preclude the attempts to explain the epidemic in scientific and medical terms or to look for human scapegoats. The sources which are included show some of the social and psychological impact of the plague, chronicle its effects on the late-medieval economy, and illustrate the fear that spread with the disease as well as the diverse ways that such terror influenced social behavior. Part One focuses on narrative accounts of the plague in Continental Europe and in the British Isles. Part Two examines explanations and responses to the plague, including religious and scientific. Part Three deals with the extraordinary consequences of the plague, its impact and repercussions. Finally the text ends with excellent and up-to-date suggestions for further reading.Dr. Horrox's text is the most extensive collection of relevant sources in translation and is an invaluable addition to the field. This book should be a part of the personal collection of every serious student of the Medieval period.