Medievalists at academic institutions in the US and Europe turn their attention to nakedness in medieval manuscripts and sculpture in this well-illustrated collection of 11 essays. In her
introduction, Lindquist delineates the sparse historiography of the theme and discusses medieval attitudes and presentation of nudity, the difference between male and female nudity in medieval
representation, and the critical importance of theology and subject matter. The remaining chapters expand on these themes with specific examples, including nudity in the Belles heures of Jean,
Duc de Berry, by Martha Easton (Seton Hall U.); male nudes in Romanesque sculpture, by Kirk Ambrose (U. of Colorado at Boulder); and a thought-provoking essay by Corine Schleif (Arizona State
U.) on depictions of the nude body of Christ in light of the writings of St Birgitta of Sweden and juxtaposed with the photography made of nude torture victims at Abu Graib Prison and other
contemporary examples. Madeleine Caviness (emerita, Tufts U.), who contributes an essay on the story of Noah and virility, also offers an epilogue that delves into the entrenched forbidding
attitudes towards nudity intrinsic to modern-day America and their effects on academic inquiry. Annotation 穢2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
