IMC 2010: Sessions

Session 509: Laughter, Smiles, and Sneers: Medieval Humour and its Manifestations, I - Spiritual Teaching, Political Jesting, and Heraldic Wordplay

Tuesday 13 July 2010, 09.00-10.30

Sponsor:	Texas Medieval Association / Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster / Otto-Friedrich-Universität, Bamberg
Organisers:	Katrin Beyer, Historisches Seminar, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Claudia Esch, Lehrstuhl für Mittelalterliche Geschichte, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg Sally N. Vaughn, Department of History, University of Houston, Texas
Moderator/Chair:	Guy Halsall, Department of History, University of York
Paper 509-a	By the Face of Lucca!: The Marvellous Jesting of King William Rufus (Language: English) Sally N. Vaughn, Department of History, University of Houston, Texas Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Political Thought, Politics and Diplomacy
Paper 509-b	Sodomitical Partridges, Gelded Beasts, and Sarcastic Symbols: Humour in Medieval Heraldry (Language: English) Steffen Harpsøe, Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archives), Statens Arkiver, København Index terms: Art History - Painting, Heraldry, Language and Literature - Latin, Mentalities
Paper 509-c	A Courtly Jest: Hoccleve and Anglo-French Humour (Language: English) Stephanie Downes, University of Sydney Index terms: Language and Literature - Middle English, Language and Literature - French or Occitan
Abstract	First, Franciscans taught through laughter, featuring simple, even silly, Brother Juniper, whose escapades teach true Franciscan paths; the Sacrum Commercium seamlessly weaves merriment into spirituality, artfully exemplifying the Franciscans' reputation as 'Minstrels of the Lord'. Secondly, England's King William Rufus's darker humour often marked political crises with merry jests, many quite sacrilegious, alienating his ecclesiastical opponents. Finally, heraldic symbols, deciphered by knowledgeable professional heralds and less knowledgeable lesser knights and nobles bearing them, resulted in rather wicked 'in-jokes', veiled in symbolism or openly in cunning wordplay, in stories of homophilic knights and castrated squires, with counterparts in medieval bestiaries.