"Incest and the Medieval Imagination" by Elizabeth Archibald (Repost)

Every society has taboos about incest, but they differ considerably, and so do literary representations of incest. This book explores medieval uses of the incest motif in a variety of literary genres, including romance, hagiography, and exempla. This study is the first survey of medieval incest stories in their cultural context.

Contents
Abbreviations
Conventions
A Note on Terminology
Introduction: DANGEROUS PROPINQUITY
1. MEDIEVAL INCEST LAW—THEORY AND PRACTICE
The Graeco-Roman Tradition
Other Evidence of Classical Attitudes to Incest
The Judaic, Biblical, and Patristic Tradition
The Development of Medieval Incest Laws
Observance of the Incest Rules in the Middle Ages
2. THE CLASSICAL LEGACY
Incest in Classical Myth, Legend, and Literature
Christian Approaches to Classical Incest Stories
Medieval Adaptations of Classical Incest Stories
3. MOTHERS AND SONS
Medieval Oedipuses: Judas, Gregorius, and Their Literary Descendants
Romance Versions: Incest Averted
Mothers in Exempla: Deliberate Incest
4. FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Unconsummated Incest—The Flight from the Incestuous Father
Consummated Incest
5. SIBLINGS AND OTHER RELATIVES
Siblings
Other Relatives
Conclusion: SEX, SIN, AND SALVATION
The Immaculate Exeption to the Rule
Appendix: Synopses of Flight from Incestuous Father Stories
Bibliography
Index