IMC 2010: Sessions
Session 609: Laughter, Smiles, and Sneers: Medieval Humour and its Manifestations, II - Literary Jests in Arthuriana, Poems, and Sagas
Tuesday 13 July 2010, 11.15-12.45
| Sponsor: | Texas Medieval Association / Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster / Otto-Friedrich-Universität, Bamberg |
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| 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: | Mia Münster-Swendsen, Saxo Institute, Faculty of Humanities, Københavns Universitet |
| Paper 609-a | Satanic Faeces on Norfolk's Soil: A Politically Incorrect Poem and a Counter-Attack (Language: English) Index terms: Daily Life, Folk Studies, Language and Literature - Latin, Local History |
| Paper 609-b | Smiling, Grinning, and Laughing in Old Norse Literature: Signs of Amiability or Markers of Hostility? (Language: English) Index terms: Daily Life, Folk Studies, Language and Literature - Scandinavian |
| Paper 609-c | Gay Beasts and Queer Animals: Homosexual Plays in the Margins of the Medieval Manuscripts (Language: English) Index terms: Art History - General, Gender Studies, Sexuality |
| Abstract | First, humorous, outrageous feats made Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century Arthurian legend popular. Did Geoffrey's use of realistic pain result in laughter that inspired audience's affection for King Arthur? Second, the 13th-century Peterborough monk's Descriptio Norfolciensium - short, pejorative Latin poems - depicts Norfolk farmers with earthy, trenchant humour, producing stereotypes of 12th-century regional or national groups. Johann of St Omer dead seriously refuted these stereotypes, suggesting the audiences' misunderstanding. Third, for us, smiling, grinning, and laughing normally indicate cordiality and amiability; but Old Norse Literature very often described them as rationally motivated facial expressions of anger, aggression, and hostility. |