abstract
| - The convention to show the Medieval Era as a crapsack time populated by pustule-faced, cat-beating, dung-caked, mud-farming peasants. Popularized by films created by the Monty Python team. (Partially for Rule of Funny -- Monty Python's Terry Jones is a historian and knows better -- and partially as a reaction against the flowery King Arthur-inspired romances that had shaped popular views of the era up until then.) Portrayal of The Dung Ages is not limited to Britain and/or the Dark Ages. It's often seen even in portrayals of cultures where it doesn't belong. Many ancient Romans, for instance, bathed every day: once soapmaking arrived from Gaul, the Roman Patricians who could afford it used soap with abandon, possibly to a greater extent than we do. Something to keep in mind is that neither The Dung Ages nor Ye Goode Olde Days is "more" accurate than the other. The reality is that while hygiene was not good by modern standards, and living conditions were not what we'd call "comfortable" (what with the lack of central heating and air conditioning, flush toilets, and weekly garbage pick-up); neither did most people walk around barefoot while caked in filth, eat rotten food nor live in tumble-down huts made of sticks. Strong aversions of The Dung Ages are examples of Ye Goode Olde Days and should be put there. The growing Dungeon Punk subgenre blends Dung Ages squalor with Heroic Fantasy tropes and modern or near-future aesthetics. See also Medieval Morons. Examples of The Dung Ages include:
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