IMC 2022: Sessions

Continued interest in comparative approaches to studying medieval England and Iceland since our sessions of the same name in 2020 drives this session to once more consider the purpose of comparative studies of literature across borders from the early to late Middle Ages. Our primary question is: what can we learn about medieval English and Icelandic literature through comparison? We seek to understand how literary traditions crossed the Atlantic, and the cultural ties that enabled the exchange of literary ideas. In particular, this session focuses on how the natural environment, both landscapes and seascapes, enters medieval English and Icelandic romance.

As our respondent for this session, Basil Arnould Price brings a well-grounded knowledge of Middle English and Medieval Icelandic romance, which will broaden the session's discourse of English and Icelandic romance beyond its primary environmental focus, especially in terms of Basil's own specialism in critical race theory and gender. Moreover, Basil's response will actively draw together the findings of the session's two papers, finding their similarities and differences and drawing these out for the benefit of the session attendees. We believe that this response is integral to our comparative methodology across both of our sessions; not only do we seek to encourage comparative approaches to the various disciplines of study of medieval England and Iceland, but we also seek to encourage a comparative and connective understanding of the ideas presented in this session.