Chorna smert'. Khrestovi pokhody. Bidnist'. Holod. Kholod. Seredni viky, pani ta panove.

Seredn'ovichchia take daleke vid nas, shcho, pochuvshy zhadku pro tsey period chasu, my prodovzhuiemo maliuvaty v holovi tu kartynku, iaku pobachyly kolys' u kil'kokh pohanykh fil'makh. Ta chy spravdi seredni viky buly takymy zhakhlyvymy? Istorykynia Stefaniia Demchuk, stverdzhuie, shcho ni, seredn'ovichchia ne bulo ani temnym, ani dykym. U svoiy knyzhtsi avtorka rozpovidaie, iak use vidbuvalosia naspravdi: shcho ily ta pyly liudy, iak vykhovuvaly ditey, choho boialysia i iak sviatkuvaly.

Khto zh nazvav seredn'ovichchia temnymy vikamy? Chy naspravdi dity pyly alkohol' i pro shcho yshlosia u tohochasnykh vykhovnykh traktatakh? U chomu liudy ziznavalysia na spovidi? Chym likuvalysia i iak vyhliadala todishnia depiliatsiia?

Use tse, a takozh diiety, navchal'nyy protses u shkolakh i navit' biyky mizh studentamy y mistianamy opysuie istorykynia u svoiy knyzhtsi. Stefaniia ozhyvliaie liudey seredn'ovichchia, rozpovidaiuchy pro tsey chas bez mifiv i tabu.