Amy Jeffs
Author of Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain
About the Author
Image credit: Photo of art historian and author Amy Jeffs.
Works by Amy Jeffs
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 20th century
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
The Courtauld Institute of Art (University of London) - Short biography
- "Amy Jeffs is an art historian specialising in the Middle Ages. In 2019, she gained a PhD in Art History from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, having studied for earlier degrees at the Courtauld Institute of Art and the University of Cambridge.
During her PhD Amy co-convened a project researching medieval badges and pilgrim souvenirs at the British Museum. She then worked in the British Library's department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts.
Her writing is often accompanied by her own linocut and wood-engraved prints, a sample of which may be seen here: www.amyjeffshistoria.com" - Nationality
- UK
- Places of residence
- Somerset, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
I enjoyed reading this as an introduction to or one author's take on a collection of myths related to Britain--but found several of the stories included too sensual for my taste, and the writing was rather underwhelming--no magic to it.
The art was interesting; some I liked more than others. The effort put into it, and overall method, particularly stood out to me.
I especially appreciated the author's commentary around places she had visited; the notes on the Arthurian legend, especially; and show more further-reading section. Being a big fan of Arthurian legend, mythology, and the Inklings, I found these most relevant to my own interests.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less
The art was interesting; some I liked more than others. The effort put into it, and overall method, particularly stood out to me.
I especially appreciated the author's commentary around places she had visited; the notes on the Arthurian legend, especially; and show more further-reading section. Being a big fan of Arthurian legend, mythology, and the Inklings, I found these most relevant to my own interests.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less
“No sooner had she uttered the final malediction than her face grew red, then purple, and then the vessels ruptured under her skin, until, with a horrible sound, her eyeballs burst out of her head and splattered onto the pages.”
A beautifully illustrated collection of mythological legends and tales depicting the ancient times of Britain, from the time of Noah through to the first Norman king; William the Conqueror.
We learn about magic, dragons, giants, many (many) battles and the people show more that make up Britain including the Picts, Saxons and Danes. Of course, no collection of stories on the ancient history of Britain would be complete without the giant gogmagog and the magical Merlin.
I felt the only negative aspect was the modernisation and adaptation of the tales. Many of these are already widely known and don’t need to be altered for the appreciation of a more modern audience. show less
A beautifully illustrated collection of mythological legends and tales depicting the ancient times of Britain, from the time of Noah through to the first Norman king; William the Conqueror.
We learn about magic, dragons, giants, many (many) battles and the people show more that make up Britain including the Picts, Saxons and Danes. Of course, no collection of stories on the ancient history of Britain would be complete without the giant gogmagog and the magical Merlin.
I felt the only negative aspect was the modernisation and adaptation of the tales. Many of these are already widely known and don’t need to be altered for the appreciation of a more modern audience. show less
This is a book which combines history, mysticism and geography in a rather beguiling mix. Each chapter starts with a piece of fiction based on Anglo-Saxon poetry then moves into reflection. It's hard to categorise or even describe in a way that does it justice, just accept that it's a rather wonderful and relaxing read!
I want to like this book more than I, in fact, do. The writing overall is good, and Jeff's manages to run a set of common threads through all the stories. But somehow, l am coming away from it a little dissatisfied.
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Statistics
- Works
- 5
- Members
- 623
- Popularity
- #40,414
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 8
- ISBNs
- 23