IMC 2015: Sessions
Session 1643: Nonviolence as a Catalyst for Change in the Medieval North Atlantic Isles
Thursday 9 July 2015, 11.15-12.45
| Organiser: | Gerard Hynes, School of English, Trinity College Dublin |
|---|---|
| Moderator/Chair: | Alice D. Jorgensen, School of English, Trinity College Dublin |
| Paper 1643-a | Wit versus War: Negotiating Violence and Kingship in Two Medieval Irish Texts (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Celtic, Political Thought |
| Paper 1643-b | The Practical Nonviolence of Anglo-Saxon Heroic Saints (Language: English) Index terms: Hagiography, Language and Literature - Old English |
| Paper 1643-c | Laying Down the Law: Personal Honour versus Communal Good in Njáls saga (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Scandinavian, Political Thought |
| Abstract | Violence, especially war, as a catalyst for change has received much critical attention. The ability of nonviolence to effect change, and the recognition of that catalytic potential by medieval authors, has been the subject of much less scholarship. This session offers three case studies of differing engagements with literary non-violence from three independent yet interacting medieval cultures. Themes addressed in the session will include: literary depictions of nonviolence; the pragmatic considerations of nonviolent action; connections between nonviolence and political and ecclesiastical reform. |