1) Contrast and distance: medieval emotions in twentieth-century Europe

In The Autumn of the Middle Ages (1919), Johan Huizinga identified medieval Europe as not only a time and a place, but also as a distinct emotional regime. According to his narrative, life during the Middle Ages consisted of intense contrasts—between sickness and health, violence and mercy—that were unknowable to Huizinga’s modern audience. This framework of difference, however, did not originate with the Dutch historian. He contributed to a broader conversation among European scholars and pu...