Medieval Iberia September on Media-eval continues! Want to hear what two historians of medieval Barcelona think about Netflix miniseries Cathedral of the Sea? Join Sarah and fellow medieval historian Marie Kelleher as we delve into the Jewish community of Barcelona, host desecration, and legal history - and remind listeners once again that the ius primae noctis wasn’t a real thing. 

CW: The series includes graphic representations of brutality (especially against women) and rape. We engage in critical discussions of the choices made related to this in the series and in the book on which it was based.

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E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Check out Marie’s work: https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14735.html 
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Cathedral Of The Sea/La catedral del mar (TV Series)

Finally, Media-eval tackles perhaps the most central text of medieval-inspired fantasy: The Lord of the Rings. Join Sarah and fellow medieval historian Paul Freedman, for a wide-ranging discussion about medievalism, food, gender, race, and more in the books and films.  

Learn more about Paul and his work: https://history.yale.edu/people/paul-freedman  

Check out his article on food in The Lord of the Rings: https://raco.cat/index.php/ImagoTemporis/article/view/270936 

Social Media:
Twitter @mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
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The Lord Of The Rings

Happy Holidays from Media-eval! Join Sarah and her dad Richard as we stretch the definition of medieval to talk about Ghostbusters II, featuring the imaginary early modern dictator Vigo the Carpathian. Check out the perhaps surprising medieval content of the film, including traditions of portraiture, references to Vlad the Impaler, and the concept of living paintings in medieval culture. 

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
 E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
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Ghostbusters II

Sarah brings Ollie back from exile to talk about the Amazon series "Rings of Power". 
Did the show nail the feeling of Tolkien? Did the actors make you believe in them? Should an elf be thinking about making love to a perfectly normal human man? 
Find out all of this and more in the latest episode of Media-eval!

Rings Of Power

Sarah and guest Erika Harlitz-Kern turn to Bohemia and the life of Jan Žižka as we tackle the 2022 film that is, generically, just called Medieval. Join us as we explore the doctrine of Jan Hus, the complex politics of the Holy Roman Empire, and how modern Czech nationalism uses the medieval past - and as Sarah literally splutters with rage over the portrayal of women in this film. CW for suicide and fridging. 

Social Media: 
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod 
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Erika on Twitter (https://twitter.com/EH_Kern), on Mastodon (https://historians.social/@eharlitzkern), and on her blog The Boomerang (https://ehkern.com/author/ehkern/)
Rate, review, and subscribe!

Medieval (2022)

Chris Pine has a new movie out that is inside our wheelhouse so that means our special Pine Correspondent, Tracy Tanoff, is back to talk about her favourite guy. And she brought Ollie with her!

Join us as we discuss this new movie that is currently in cinemas. Is it good? Yes. Does it make us happy? YES!

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Sarah brings Ollie back to the pod to talk about the second season of The Legend of Vox Machina. At the end of the first season our heroes seemed to be in a lot of peril so join us as we see if they can escape and defy the odds yet again to win the day and save the realm. One thing we do know is that if they do they'll have a great sweary time doing it!

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 2

Media-eval is back and this time we are tackling one of the most famous movies that can come under our remit- Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott.
This movie won all the oscars and is a beloved fan favourite BUT did Sarah like it? She has brought Ollie back to argue the merits or lack thereof for this popular movie.
Is Russel Crowe any good? Does Joaquin Phoenix eat enough ham? Is Kingdom of Heaven really better than this? Is it a fridging if they arent even a character?

This might be the closest to a real argument the podcast has ever seen between Host and traitor...I mean guest.

Gladiator

Sarah and returning guest Tracy Tanoff delve into the everyday lives of nuns in our conversation on Lauren Groff’s novel Matrix. Join us as we explore the work of Marie de France, illness and disability in monasteries, faith and mysticism, and the real stories of queer nuns through a discussion of Groff’s 2021 novel.   

CW for reference to sexual assault (not graphic)

Read the novel Matrix by Lauren Groff: https://bookshop.org/p/books/matrix-lauren-groff/16278801?ean=9781594634505 
Check out a take from another medievalist, past guest Lucy Barnhouse, on this book: https://nursingclio.org/2021/12/09/matrix-lauren-groffs-visions-of-the-medieval/  
Learn more about medieval women’s and gender history in Judith Bennett’s book History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism: https://bookshop.org/p/books/history-matters-patriarchy-and-the-challenge-of-feminism-judith-m-bennett/12488103?ean=9780812220049  
Learn more about lesbians in the Middle Ages: Jacqueline Murray, “Twice Marginal and Twice Invisible: Lesbians in the Middle Ages,” in The Handbook of Medieval Sexuality, ed. by Vern L. Bullough and James A. Brundage. Garland Publishing, 1996, pp. 191-222.

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Tracy on BlueSky: haveloved

Matrix by Lauren Groff

It's the spookiest time of the year and I'm not talking about Tax Season. 
Sarah want's to talk about a modern "Horror" movie that on the surface doesn't seem to be from the medieval period but when one of the major plot points is about the Spanish Inquisition and the movie seems to absolve certain people of guilt, you can bet they are going to have thoughts!

The Pope's Exorcist

Sarah and returning guest Peter Konieczny return to the world of the Three Kingdoms with 2022 anime series Ya Boy Kongming! Join us as we discuss the life story of Zhuge Liang Kongming, premodern Chinese concepts of hell, and the challenges of time travel narratives.  

CW for reference to suicide attempt

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Peter at medievalists.net

Ya Boy Kongming

He may be in decline but he still knows a good movie when he sees it so Ollie returns to argue with Sarah on the merits or lack thereof in the movie Apocalypto(2006).

Is it hi-octane action? Yes!
Does it have a paper thin plot? Absolutely!
Does the politics it represents leave a bad taste in your mouth? Possibly!

Sit back and enjoy as two friends discuss a movie one loves and the other doesn't while both agreeing that the director is a POS.

Apocalypto

This week we have something a little different, as medievalists Lucy Barnhouse and Winston Black join Sarah to talk about how medieval medicine is represented in popular culture. Lucy and Winston are the editors of the new volume Beyond Cadfael: Medieval Medicine and Medical Medievalism. Join us as we explore the most common tropes of medical medievalism, from leeches to orientalism. 

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Purchase Beyond Cadfael here: https://trivent-publishing.eu/home/160-232-beyond-cadfael.html 
Find Lucy on social media: https://twitter.com/singingscholar 
Find Winston on social media: https://mastodon.world/@winstoneblack and https://bsky.app/profile/winstonblack.bsky.social

Beyond Cadfael: Medieval Medicine and Medical Medievalism

This week, Media-eval ventures a bit outside its usual chronology … as after all, Sarah can’t resist an opportunity to dunk on Ridley Scott. Join Sarah and guest Miranda Sachs, a historian of modern France, as we discuss Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon. What about Napoleon got left out of the film, and why does it matter? Was the French Revolution quite as bad as the film implies? (Hint: No). And why is the film’s central thesis that Napoleon was bad at sex? 

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Miranda Sachs at her faculty page: https://www.txst.edu/history/people/faculty-staff/sachs.html, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirandaSachs, and on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mirandasachs.bsky.social

Napoleon

Media-eval this week goes from 1500 to 2000 to 2500 in Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain. Join Sarah and guest Marisa Macias as we attempt (with moderate success) to make sense of this movie. Are all the Hugh Jackman’s and Rachel Weiszes the same person? What was Isabella I of Castile really like? And why on earth are filmmakers so dedicated to not knowing what the Spanish Inquisition is? 

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Marisa on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@madmodworld

The Fountain

Sarah and returning Media-eval Doctor Who correspondent Lily Bonnemann return for New Series season 5 episode, The Vampires of Venice! Join us as we explore vampire lore, the history of Venice, and the real lives of powerful wealthy women (most of whom are NOT fish-aliens) in early modern Venice.

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Lily on Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/shadow-academic

Doctor Who, Vampires Of Venice

Ollie returns to talk about a season of a tv show he enjoyed and simultaneously got really annoyed at.

Sarah is very patient with him and they also have a really interesting discussion on what makes an adaptation good and what mistakes adaptations often make.

Wheel of Time season 2

Media-eval this week is transported back to (sort of) Ancien Regime France. Join Sarah and returning guest Peter Konieczny for a discussion of anime series I’m in Love with the Villainess! We get into how we distinguish medieval from early modern (and whether we should), food history (ever wondered when they first invented crème brûlée?), and class dynamics in the late medieval and early modern world.

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Peter at http://www.medievalists.net

I'm in Love with the Villainess!

Join Sarah and returning Media-eval Doctor Who correspondent Lily Bonnemann for a trip into the late 17th century with New Series season 6 episode, The Curse of the Black Spot. We get to talk Mughal emperors, sirens, and, of course, pirates!

Social Media: 
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod 
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com 
Find Lily on Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/shadow-academic

Doctor Who, The Curse Of The Black Spot

If a movie is released and no-one is there to see it, does it make a sound....and lots of historical errors?
James Purefoy is back and he is once again making a movie that is fun but not necessarily...good? Ollie has a good time and Sarah has a mild breakdown at just how many things this movie gets wrong!

Ironclad

Happy Passover! Media-eval celebrates by once again dunking on Ridley Scott. Join Sarah and her mother, Beth Greenfeld, as we talk about the biblical and historical inspirations behind 2014 film Exodus: Gods and Kings, and attempt to answer such questions as: Why is Moses now a military leader? What’s up with all the brownface? What happened to the women in the Exodus story? And how did medieval Jews celebrate Passover? 

Social Media: 
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod 
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com 
Find Beth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethg20904 
Learn more about medieval haggadot in Marc Michael Epstein’s excellent book: https://www.academia.edu/2439145/The_Medieval_Haggadah_Art_Narrative_and_Religious_Imagination

Exodus: Gods and Kings

Magic and mystery are part of their history … and now they’re featured on Media-eval! Join Sarah and returning guest Mabel Slattery as we tackle Disney animated series Adventures of the Gummi Bears. What you might expect: discussions about knightly culture and medievalism for children. What you might not expect: discussions about expulsions and refugee crises in the medieval world. 

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod 
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Mabel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slatteroo/ and stream her comedy, featured on: https://www.twitch.tv/blizzardcomedy 
Buy Sarah’s award-winning book The Fruit of Her Hands: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09330-7.html. Use promo code KZO24 for a 40% discount!

Adventures of the Gummi Bears

This week, Media-eval explores premodern China with anime series The Apothecary Diaries! Join Sarah and returning guest (and Media-eval anime correspondent) Peter Konieczny as we explore the lived experiences of women in medieval China, from servants to courtesans, concubines to apothecaries. 

CW: The series includes depictions of suicide/suicidal ideation and sexual harassment and assault, which we discuss in the episode.

Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod 
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com 
Find Peter at www.medievalists.net

The Apothecary Diaries

Join Sarah and returning guest - and classic film correspondent - Morgan Morales for the 1935 film The Crusades. Is it kind of offensive? Yes. Is it good? Not particularly. Should you watch it? Probably not. But should you listen to this episode? Yes! 

Join Sarah and returning guest - and classic film correspondent - Morgan Morales for the 1935 film The Crusades. Is it kind of offensive? Yes. Is it good? Not particularly. Should you watch it? Probably not. But should you listen to this episode? Yes! 

This is the last regular episode before Media-eval’s summer hiatus - see you in September! 

CW: We discuss both actor Loretta Young’s reported experience of sexual assault and sexual harassment/assault played for comedy in the film. We also discuss the film’s rampant Islamophobia.

Social Media: 
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod 
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com 
Find Morgan on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/morganrmorales.bsky.social

The Crusades

Our First Episode!
Welcome as we talk about Braveheart and find out what it does right, what it gets wrong and just what alternatives we could create.

Braveheart

Romeo and Juliet? Lancelot and Guinevere? 
Before these famous couples we had one that was more star crossed and more betraying than both of those combined.

Sit down and strap in as Sarah and Ollie discuss some of the most foolish teenagers in literary history.

Tristan + Isolde

CW: Violence against women

Today Sarah and Ollie tackle a movie so bad it led to the formation of the Ifft-Decker Test. It also leads to a revision of our review scoring policy.

King Arthur Legend of the Sword

Sarah and guest Maeve Doyle get into witch burning, burial of Black Death victims, and medieval marginalia in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Enjoy Media-eval's very first episode with not one, but TWO medievalists!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Sarah and fellow medievalist Abigail Agresta talk about why there's no Eustace VIII, medieval attitudes toward lepers, and the challenges of setting a forensic-evidence-based mystery series in medieval England in our discussion of the ITV series Cadfael. This is also the first Media-eval episode where everyone is in the same room ... and that room was in Barcelona! CW: for discussion of rape/sexual assault in one episode.

Cadfael

Join Sarah and guests Meghan Griffin and Tracy Tanoff as we gush about our new favorite adaptation featuring of the wives of Henry VIII (at least, until our own novels come out). I hope listeners will be inspired to check out the soundtrack and support the creators during this difficult time while theaters are closed.

CW: one song (and therefore also our discussion of it) includes themes of grooming and sexual assault.

SIX the Musical

Sarah Ifft Decker, a medieval historian, explores how movies, tv, and books depict the medieval world. What did they get right? What did they get wrong? And what do they tell us about how modern people think about the medieval past?

Popular tracks by Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast