Synopses & Reviews
Second edition of a comprehensive study of the ritual practices in traditional Christian Europe.
Review
"...Muir has written a superlative study that surpasses previous work in the field and constitutes the definitive introduction to the history of rituals and their place in early modern European popular culture." Steven G. Renhardt, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Synopsis
This comprehensive study of rituals in early modern Europe draws on extensive historical research to argue that between about 1400 and 1700 a revolution in ritual theory took place that utterly transformed concepts about time, the body, and the presence of spiritual forces in the world. The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century constituted a massive theoretical assault on many ritual practices as reformers attempted to replace sacraments with the authority of scripture. However, while intellectuals came to disparage their power, ritual practices endured as much as ever.
Synopsis
The first comprehensive study of rituals in early modern Europe, this new and expanded edition argues that between about 1400 and 1700 a revolution in ritual theory took place that transformed concepts about time, the body, and the presence of spiritual forces. Edward Muir discusses wide ranging themes such as rites of passage, carnivalesque festivity, and the alleged anti-Christian rituals of Jews and witches. The new edition examines the impact on the European understanding of ritual from the discoveries of new civilizations in the Americas and missionary efforts in China.
About the Author
Edward Muir is Professor of History of the Northwestern University. His publications include Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice (1981) and Mad Blood Stirring: Vendetta in Renaissance Italy (1998).
Table of Contents
Figures; Acknowledgments; Introduction: what is ritual?; Part I. The Ritual Moment: 1. Rites of passage; 2. The ritual calendar; Part II. Rituals of the Body: 3. Carnival and the lower body; 4. Manners and the upper body; Part III. Ritual Representation: 5. The Reformation as a revolution in ritual theory; 6. The Reformation as a ritual process; 7. Government as a ritual process; Epilogue: mere ritual; Glossary.