Deformed Discourse: The Function of the Monster in Mediaeval Thought and Literature - Hardcover

Williams, David A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773513892 ISBN 13: 9780773513891

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1996

Synopsis

Part I traces the poetics of teratology, the study of monsters, to Christian neoplatonic theology and philosophy, particularly Pseudo-Dionysius's negative theology and his central idea that God cannot be known except by knowing what he is not. Williams argues that the principles of negative theology as applied to epistemology and language made possible a symbolism of negation and paradox whose chief sign was the monster. Part II provides a taxonomy of monstrous forms with a gloss on each, and Part III examines the monstrous and the deformed in three heroic sagas -- the medieval Oedipus, The Romance of Alexander, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- and three saints' lives -- Saint Denis, Saint Christopher, and Saint Wilgeforte. The book is beautifully illustrated with medieval representations of monsters. The most comprehensive study of the grotesque in medieval aesthetic expression, Deformed Discourse successfully brings together medieval research and modern criticism.

About this title

Review

A work of encyclopaedic scope and informed depth, this study of the monstrous in medieval culture is a major addition to earlier theories of the grotesque. * Choice * A stimulating and convincing insight into the philosophical and literary significance of teratology, the study of monsters, in the European Middle Ages ... This study can be used in at least two ways. First, it can be seen as a well-argued and well-documented monograph which makes sense of a complex set of ideas and images. Secondly, it can be used an encyclopaedic introduction to many neglected aspects of mediaeval iconography and as a vade mecum for the shadowy but fascinating world of the monstrous. * The Downside Review , vol.118, no. 410 * The theory which underpins Deformed Discourse is closely and cogently argued. The treatment of monstrosity as an engine of paradox, purging the mind of the temptations of mimesis, is a fruitful and illuminating one, engaging both with modern semiotics and with the aspirational character of mystical discourse, in which plain analogy will never bear the spirit far enough on its journey. * Review of English Studies Vol.49, No 196 * ... A cogent and satisfying work ... Which will have a continued impact in the ongoing discussion of monsters in the Middle Ages. * Religion and Literature, Vol. 29.3 Autumn * This fundamental study marks a milestone in the history of research on the monstrous in the Middle Ages and on Western ways of thinking. I can state without hesitation that Williams has produced a magnum opus on this subject, with a highly personal approach, providing an overview of all previous works on the monster and the philosophical, theological, aesthetic, and literary context. His vision is at once encyclopedic, critical, and completely fresh ... This is clearly the work of a researcher in full maturity. Its many qualities place it in the front rank. -- Claude-Claire Kappler * Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris.[translation] * ... a cogent and satisfying work ... which will have a continued impact in the ongoing discussion of monsters in the Middle Ages. (Deformed Discourse Religion and Literature, Vol. 29.3 (Autumn 97)) * Religion and Literature, Vol. 29.3, Autumn *

About the Author

David Williams is Professor of English, McGill University, Canada.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773513892
• ISBN 13: 9780773513891
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 408