IMC 2022: Sessions
Session 331: The Borders of Life and Death, II: Death and Beyond
Monday 4 July 2022, 16.30-18.00
| Organisers: | Joanne Edge, Department of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge Jude Seal, Independent Scholar, York |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Ruth Salter, Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Reading |
| Paper 331-a | Die Another Day: Sir Gawain and the Instability of Death (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Middle English, Mentalities |
| Paper 331-b | The Pastoral Function of the Walking Corpse in the Sermons of John Mirk (Language: English) Index terms: Sermons and Preaching, Theology |
| Abstract | It is perhaps one of the ultimate boundaries - that between the living and the dead. And yet, in the records and narratives of the Middle Ages, death was not only of huge significance, but also not necessarily as permanent as one might otherwise believe. These sessions will explore the borders between life and death: how did medieval people navigate the uncertainties and liminal spaces between the living and the dead, and between being alive and being dead? In what ways did medieval people conceptualise near death experiences? In what ways did the rituals around death represent a syncretism of cultures as religious conversions spread through populations? In what ways did living people attempt to commune with the dead and how did they believe the dead communicated with the living? |