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Knight Fights Giant Snail

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BBC Radio 4 - Knight Fights Giant Snail

Dr Alixe Bovey presents a surreal journey through the world of medieval marginalia.

Knights fighting snails, murderous rabbits, mischievous monkeys. The images in medieval margins range from the playful to the bizarre. With Dr Alixe Bovey.

Walking fish, knights fighting snails, murderous rabbits, mischievous monkeys, The images in the margins of many medieval manuscripts, both holy and secular, can be saintly and beautiful - but also playful, crude, demonic and downright bizarre. 

What are the beliefs, inventions and ideas which led the illuminators to produce such strange images in the margins of their books? 

Dr Alixe Bovey explores the world of medieval marginalia.

Producer Jo Wheeler
A Freewheel production for BBC Radio 4

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