{"product_id":"2940170410941","title":"Epic Continent: Adventures in the Great Stories of Europe","description":"\u003cp\u003eAward-winning travel writer Nicholas Jubber journeys across Europe exploring Europe's epic poems, from the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eSong of Roland\u003c\/i\u003e to the \u003ci\u003eNibelungenlied\u003c\/i\u003e, and their impact on European identity in these turbulent times. These are the stories that made Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJourneying from Turkey to Iceland, award-winning travel writer Nicholas Jubber takes us on a fascinating adventure through our continent's most enduring epic poems to learn how they were shaped by their times and how they have since shaped us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe great European epics were all inspired by moments of seismic change: the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e tells of the aftermath of the Trojan War, the primal conflict from which much of European civilisation was spawned. \u003ci\u003eThe Song of the Nibelungen\u003c\/i\u003e tracks the collapse of a Germanic kingdom on the edge of the Roman Empire. Both the French \u003ci\u003eSong of Roland\u003c\/i\u003e and the Serbian \u003ci\u003eKosovo Cycle\u003c\/i\u003e emerged from devastating conflicts between Christian and Muslim powers. \u003ci\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/i\u003e, the only surviving Old English epic, and the great Icelandic Saga of \u003ci\u003eBurnt Njal\u003c\/i\u003e, respond to times of great religious struggle - the shift from paganism to Christianity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese stories have stirred passions ever since they were composed, motivating armies and revolutionaries, and they continue to do so today. Reaching back into the ancient and medieval eras in which these defining works were produced, and investigating their continuing influence today, \u003ci\u003eEpic Continent\u003c\/i\u003e explores how matters of honour, fundamentalism, fate, nationhood, sex, class and politics have preoccupied the people of Europe across the millennia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn these tales soaked in blood and fire, Nicholas Jubber discovers how the world of gods and emperors, dragons and water maidens, knights and princesses made our own: their deep impact on European identity and their resonance in our turbulent times.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Octopus Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47115209801968,"sku":"2940170410941","price":29.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170410941_p0.jpg?v=1763709268","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170410941","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}