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The Bear

History of a Fallen King
by Michel Pastoureau
The Bear: History of a Fallen King. Belknap: Harvard Univ. Oct. 2011. c.368p. tr. from French by George Holoch. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780674047822. $29.95. HIST
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The scholarship displayed in this groundbreaking study is the best kind: deep, broad, imaginative. Medievalist Pastoureau (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne: Black: History of a Color) takes on the history of the bear, that exceptional animal once said to most resemble man. Once king of the beasts in the West, at times even god, the bear was hunted down in Europe from the time of Charlemagne (d. 814) and its image systematically degraded. By the end of the 12th century, the bear's place as king of the beasts had been usurped by the lion. Henceforth the bear was largely a figure of ridicule. How did this happen? What purposes did the change serve? Pastoureau uses evidence from history, textual analysis, heraldry, anthropology, and iconography to produce an eclectic study that not only reads like a dream but opens avenues for future research.
VERDICT This book is written for scholars, but the fascinating subject has potential to become a crossover book, interesting all who enjoy history, art history, or the history of animals.
Reviewed by David Keymer, Modesto, CA , Sep 01, 2011
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