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

Williams, David A.

ISBN 10: 0773518711 / ISBN 13: 9780773518711

Published by McGill-Queen's University Press, 1999

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Deformed Discourse: The Function of the ...

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

Publication Date: 1999

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis:

Exploring the concept of the monster in the Middle Ages, this work examines its philosophical and theological roots, and analyzes its symbolic function in medieval literature and art. 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. The author 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 illustrated with medieval representations of monsters. A comprehensive study of the grotesque in medieval aesthetic expression, this work brings together medieval research and modern criticism.

Review:

"Deformed Discourse is absolutely excellent. 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." [translation] Claude-Claire Kappler, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris.