Great Courses: Sex in the Middle Ages

The Pound Ridge Library is pleased to announce the continuation of a series of lectures which mark the eleventh year of courses which are part of the library’s continuing presentation of a new educational concept in life-long learning: a series of DVD seminars from The Teaching Company/The Great Courses encompassing a wide variety of subjects, given by outstanding scholars from major colleges and universities throughout the United States. This program, the first of its kind in the country, is designed to provide collegial, small group-setting for courses “you didn’t get to take at college, but wanted to.” The seminars, developed by the late Lawrence Brotmann of Pound Ridge, NY are held at the library on Thursdays at 12:30 pm and consist of four 30-minute (closed-captioned) lectures per session, most from 3 to 6 weeks per course.

Registration is not necessary but parking is limited. The library encourage carpooling or being dropped off.

Course Overview
Sex. The word makes some people giggle or blush, while others may draw back in discomfort. Whatever the reaction, whether positive or negative or a confusing mix of both, it’s rarely neutral. But sexual intercourse is a basic biological fact of life—and none of us would be here without it.

So, why do we find it so difficult to talk openly about sex? Where do the many rules and taboos surrounding sex and sexuality come from? How is it that a basic biological act can be so fraught with cultural, social, and moral complications?

In truth, much of our reticence in discussing and acknowledging the realities of sex comes, at least in part, from a unique time and place: medieval Europe. In the 12 episodes of Sex in the Middle Ages, Professor Jennifer McNabb and a panel of experts in medieval history and literature will take you back to the period between the fall of Rome and the rise of the Renaissance to explore the ideals and realities of sex and sexuality. As you’ll learn, the rise of Christianity as not just a religion but a powerful political institution irrevocably influenced both the practical and moral dimensions of sex for centuries. And you may be surprised to see how much medieval views of sex continue to influence us today.

From the crowned heads of Europe to the lowliest serf, sex and its consequences affected everyone. After all, for people in the Middle Ages, sex could determine the fate of a kingdom and the state of your immortal soul. With so much on the line, is there any doubt that sex occupied the medieval mind and became a focal point of politics, literature, art, and so much more? This deep-seated preoccupation means that looking at the past through sex and sexuality opens doors into so many other dimensions of medieval life and offers a fresh new perspective on history beyond the big events and famous names we are familiar with.