Review by Choice Review
Russell (University of California--Santa Barbara) has written a clear textbook-like account of heresy (which he considers ^D["dissent^D]") from the 5th to the 16th century. This chronological treatment focuses on the period after 1000 when rapid urban development brought radical changes to medieval society. An increasingly literate middle class is seen to choose heresy as the means to ^D["dissent^D]" against the established order. Russell gives insufficient attention to the fundamental differences between academic, political, and folk heresy, particularly in terms of their origins. Folk heresy, for example, was rampant during the early Middle Ages but because the authorities were not in a panic to enforce order--urban development had not yet occurred--it gets short shrift. Russell rejects as fundamentally biased the sources that record the beliefs and behavior of dissenters, especially in the sexual and moral sphere, and concludes that they were unfairly depicted and unjustly treated by the establishment. All levels.
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
