ABSTRACT
The Middle Ages are having a vogue in contemporary culture: from The Lord of the Rings films to Game of Thrones, the period, or a fantasy of the period, has lately been occupying a great deal of screen time. Medieval movies, novels, video games, and television programs abound. The period appears in many other genres as well, including operas, fine arts, and architecture, among other forms. This post-medieval body of work that references the Middle Ages, called "medievalism", is many people's introduction to the Middle Ages. This chapter explores some contemporary responses to the medieval as a touchstone to establish a few key ideas, vocabulary, and concepts. Medievalism exists in many forms, all of it a kind of fantasy of a past narrowed down to certain traits. Alternatively, medievalism can be found in the ways in which medieval artifacts are displayed or performed; medieval history can be repurposed to tell a variety of different stories.
