Humour, History and Politics in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Although the topic of humor has been dealt with for other eras, early medieval humor remains largely neglected. The essays collected here attempt to fill the gap, examining how the writers of early medieval sources deliberately employed humor to make their case. The essays range from the late Roman empire through to the tenth century, and from Byzantium to Anglo-Saxon England. The subject matter is diverse, but a number of themes link them together, notably the use of irony, ridicule and satire as political tools.