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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 2014/03/13 - A new translation of Giganti's historic fencing manual by Aaron Meidema, author of Bayonets and Blobsticks, takes a fresh and fascinating look at the world of Renaissance rapier combat.
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Rapier fencing and duelling during the 16th and 17th centuries was dominated by the Italian masters, whose systems of sword fighting became formalized and scientific. Breaking away from this trend, Nicoletto Giganti developed something different: an elegantly simple system of fencing that cut to the essence of the swordfight was and how to win it. Giganti’s Scola overò Teatro, or The School of the Sword, became one of the most influential systems of fencing across Europe in the seventeenth century.
In this remarkable new translation by historical fencing instructor and historian Aaron Taylor Miedema, author of Bayonets and Blobsticks, Giganti’s work is presented fresh to the modern reader. A trained historian, Miedema brings a fresh and critical perspective to a field of study and translation often the domain of enthusiasts without formal historical training. Copiously illustrated with redrawings of dozens of Giganti’s original plates, over 60 new photographs, and even a new plate, Giganti’s detailed curriculum is augmented by comprehensive annotation and commentary, along with a modern fencing curriculum to explore the material. Regardless of whether you are a historian, a casual reader with an interest in the sword, or an accomplished swordsman, Nicoletto Giganti’s The School of the Sword is a fascinating guide to the art of rapier fencing.
The School of the Sword also explores the following:
- Renaissance print culture and its impact on the expression of fencing theory.
- How Giganti’s very well organized work proved to be the most published fencing master of the 17th century
- How early modern books conveyed complex idea through the written word and illustration
- The need to judge fencing theorists on their own merits and to be wary of bringing outside ideas both new and old to the interpretation of individual texts.
“Too often we look at ourselves as being superior to the people of the past, as a result, things from the past that seem alien to us we judge as obviously wrong,” says Miedema. “This is wholly incorrect people in the past were often focused on different things than us, and thus, know things that are not intuitive to us. It is worthwhile to take the leap of faith and take authors from the past at face value.”
Aaron Taylor Miedema started out studying theatre, and, was the Artistic Director of the Renaissance Stage Company in Kingston, Ontario, between 1992 and 2000. It was during his time in the theatre that he developed an interest in stage combat and martial arts, and after 2000 he began to dedicate himself to the study and practice of ancient and historical fencing. In 2005 he returned to Carleton University in Ottawa to pursue studies in Italian, Latin, and the social history of late medieval and early modern Europe. With this knowledge, Aaron began the translation and interpretation of Italian martial arts of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. He is now a PhD history student at York University, and has served as the historical advisor of 21 Brothers, holder of the Guinness World Record for longest film shot in a single take. He currently resides in Scarborough, Ontario, with his partner Yvonne.
Available on July 15, 2014 at bookstores, and currently available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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