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IMC 2014: Sessions

Session 1535: Body and Soul in Medieval Literature

Thursday 10 July 2014, 09.00-10.30

Organiser:Rebecca Maryan, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Moderator/Chair:Daniel McCann, St Anne's College, University of Oxford
Paper 1535-aMiracles for the Mad: A Hagiographical Study of Body and Mind
(Language: English)
Claire Trenery, Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London
Index terms: Hagiography, Medicine
Paper 1535-bBeating the Bride into Shape: Domestic Violence within Bridal Mysticism
(Language: English)
Annette M. Volfing, Oriel College, University of Oxford
Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - German
Paper 1535-cLanguage of the Humours in Middle English Guides for Spiritual and Bodily Health
(Language: English)
Rebecca Maryan, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Index terms: Language and Literature - Middle English, Lay Piety, Medicine
Abstract

This session will focus on the relationship between body and soul in medieval literature. The first paper examines the representation of mental illness in 12th-and 13th-century English miracle texts to demonstrate how saints functioned as physical, mental, and spiritual healers. The second paper will address two Middle High German allegorical texts which present corporeal punishment within the context of bridal mysticism, paying particular attention to the ways in which the presentation of the body encourages a blurring of the literal and the allegorical levels of interpretation. The final paper will examine ideas about body and soul in Middle English medical and spiritual guides through the comparative lens of humoral discourse.