Abstract
The review analyses the work of a historian and media studies scholar Stefaniia Demchuk on the everyday life of the Middle Ages. The scholar focuses her research on the medieval man, with all his fears, desires, joys, and sorrows. The work consists of 7 chapters, which are logically structured from the birth of a person to their death, with life between these periods filled with work, holidays, love, and education. The value of the work lies in the fact that the researcher draws attention to the least represented, especially in Ukrainian historiography, class - the peasantry. The analysis of the work revealed that the researcher used interdisciplinary methods, anthropological and hermeneutical approaches. Geographically, the work covers the territory of Western Europe in the Middle Ages, which Stefania Demchuk proposes to consider within the time frame from the 5th till the 16th century. While the researcher relies on a significant number of archaeological, written and visual sources, works by well-known European medievalists, the material is aimed at readers of any level. The study is a popular science story about the Middle Ages, with additional recommendations for readers, illustrations, and quotes from works of art and treatises. As part of her work, Stefania Demchuk not only presents the history of everyday life in an accessible way, but also debunks the most common and popular myths and stereotypes about the Middle Ages: backward medicine and lack of hygiene, the low, disenfranchised position of women, church-controlled celebrations, poverty, hunger, no proper childhood experiences, etc. Stefania Demchuk's work "The Age of Fasting and Carnivals. How They Lived, Drank and Loved in the Middle Ages" promotes the popularisation of history and media studies, and is aimed at combating historical myths and fakes. This work will be of interest and use to both the scientific community and anyone interested in the Middle Ages.
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