The Illuminated World Chronicle with Nina Rowe

In this episode Dr. Nina Rowe discusses her latest book The Illuminated World Chronicle: Tales from the Late Medieval City with our host Sandra Hindman. They discuss some of the thrilling and often titillating stories found in World Chronicle manuscripts including the tale of the Devil on Noah’s Ark. Dr. Rowe has uncovered the deep connections these texts have to the cities in which they were produced, and has found evidence of racial and ethnic diversity, curiosity, and intermingling in these late medieval German cities. In many ways the World Chronicle was structured like a medieval version of the play Hamilton or even the recently released Netflix drama Bridgerton. All three take the material of history and robe it in the vernacular of the present day, exploring race and place through an historical lens. An innovative literary form in the 14th century, the World Chronicle transformed history into entertainment. 

This conversation was recorded on Tuesday January 12, 2021.