IMC 2019: Sessions
Session 710: Women and the Natural World in Medieval Literature, III: Water
Tuesday 2 July 2019, 14.15-15.45
Organisers: | Olivia Colquitt, Department of English, University of Liverpool Sarah-Nelle Jackson, Department of English, University of British Columbia |
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Moderator/Chair: | Sarah-Nelle Jackson, Department of English, University of British Columbia |
Paper 710-a | Pearl Fishing: Bestiary Oyster as Marian Sacred Womb (Language: English) Index terms: Architecture - Religious, Gender Studies, Language and Literature - French or Occitan, Lay Piety |
Paper 710-b | Motherhood at Sea in Medieval Romance (Language: English) Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - Middle English, Women's Studies |
Paper 710-c | Bodies of Water: Mapping the Mother in Mélusine (Language: English) Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - French or Occitan, Women's Studies |
Abstract | The third session in our series focuses on the primordial connections between motherhood and water. Through ecocritical approaches to early bestiary accounts of the oyster and her pearl, we may gain an understanding of medieval conceptions of sacred feminine bodies and places. The sea of medieval romance is vast, perilous, and unpredictable: here, maternal resilience is put to the test as exiled queens must protect their children from the unbridled power of the elements. By contrast, Mélusine's symbiotic relationship with water disseminates her dynastic influence across the realm, empowering her role as mother and founder of the House of Lusignan. |