THE IDEA OF THE CASTLE IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND

This study offers a genuinely fresh perspective. Most castle scholars confine themselves to historical documents, but Wheatley exami nes literary and artistic evidence for its influence on and response to contemporary castle architecture. Sermons, seals and ivory c askets, local legends and Roman ruins all have their part to play. What emerges is a fascinating web of cultural resonances: the cas tle is implicated in every aspect of medieval consciousness, from private religious contemplation to the creation of national mythol ogies.