The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History: A Forgotten Heritage (The Middle Ages Series)

Rating:
Summary: A must read for students of the Middle Ages
Review: Menocal's now classic (and still controversial) book is well worth the trouble of finding a copy (I waited 6 weeks for mine). She uncovers a hidden thread of influence on Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch (and thus our Western Heritage) that most scholars would have preferred lay forgotten.

Yes, Virginia, there really wasn't a "Renaissance." Instead, European authors tapped into the great watershed of Islamic culture and borrowed the best of it, recasting it for a Christian audience.

Michael Kucher
University of Washington, Tacoma