Pleasures and Pastimes in Medieval England

Book excerpt: Despite presumptions to the contrary, the daily life of men and women in late medieval England was not entirely one of toil. This enlightening book looks at how people from all classes of medieval society enjoyed themselves when not about their daily chores. What was it that gave delight in medieval England? Professor Reeves presents a fascinating and highly readable survey of the entertainments and pursuits with which people of the time filled their leisure hours. From the rough and tumble of wrestling and jousting to the more sedate pastimes of chess and cards, from gardening to prostitution and from cock-fighting to religious festivals the book describes with entertaining detail activities of which many remain popular today, though often in different guises. Nor does the author neglect the aesthetic pleasures to be had from painting, literature, jewellery, music and the arts. With its many beautiful illustrations, several in colour, this book offers a sumptuous overview of the delights of medieval life, providing both an eye-opener for scholars and an extremely attractive introduction for the general reader to the pleasures of life in England over five hundred years ago.