The Romance of the Middle Ages
Bodleian Library, Oxford
28 January – 13 May 2012
From chivalrous knights and damsels in distress to fire-breathing dragons, the characteristics and expectations we ascribe to stories of love and romance have their origins in some of the most beautiful and intriguing books of the Middle Ages.
Through a discussion of surviving manuscripts, printed books and visual art, the exhibition examines the development of romance as a literary genre, its place in medieval culture and the scribes and readers who copied, owned and commented on romance books.
Earthenware floor tile, Chertsey Abbey, late Medieval, late 13th century.