As Mary and Irina discussed in the previous episode of Medieval LOLs, fabliaux had an enormous influence on Chaucer, but outside of his work, only one survives in Middle English. Dame Syrith, a story of lust, deception and a mustard-eating dog, is medieval humour at its silliest and most troubling. Mary and Irina explore the surprising representations of old ... Show More
Apr 13
Narrative Poems: ‘The Rape of the Lock’ by Alexander Pope
Sometime in 1711, a twenty-year-old aristocrat, Lord Petre, snipped a lock of hair, without permission, from the head of Arabella Fermor, a celebrated beauty. The incident caused an irreconcilable rift between the two families, who were both Catholic. Shortly afterwards, the youn ... Show More
15m 7s
Mar 30
Who’s afraid of realism? Three stories by Anton Chekhov
‘Instead of sheets – dirty tablecloths.’ The notebooks of Anton Chekhov are full of enigmatic observations such as this, the unexplained details that suggest a whole scene, short story or character. When asked by an actor how he should play the role of Trigorin in The Seagull, Ch ... Show More
23m 50s
Aug 2023
Medieval Booze with Eleanor Janega
<p>In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis welcomes his new co-host, historian Dr. Eleanor Janega. For her first episode, Eleanor and Matt kick off with a quick fire round about some of her favourite Medieval subjects, culminating in booze. How important was alcohol in the m ... Show More
41m 53s
Apr 2021
The Mermaid of Zennor (Pre-Intermediate)
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In Zennor, a village in Cornwall, there is a carving of a mermaid in the local church. How did it get there? Well, hundreds of years ago, a strange but beautiful woman visited the town, and caught the eye of a young man call ... Show More
22m 55s