Throughout the history of human civilization, the definition of the animal and its relationship to humans have been contentious issues. This book investigates the notion of what constituted an animal in Early Medieval English culture as well as how the animal-human interaction is portrayed in the Anglo-Saxon literary corpus. In this regard, the animal’s portrayals in the Exeter Book Riddles and of monstrous creatures in the Wonders of the East provided a fertile field for research because these texts, rarely connected to allegorical readings and offering viewpoints that might be seen as complementary, deal with fundamental issues regarding what it meant to be human for Early Medieval English society.
Riddles and Wonders: Defining Humanity in Anglo-Saxon England
Bria, Jasmine
2023-01-01
Abstract
Throughout the history of human civilization, the definition of the animal and its relationship to humans have been contentious issues. This book investigates the notion of what constituted an animal in Early Medieval English culture as well as how the animal-human interaction is portrayed in the Anglo-Saxon literary corpus. In this regard, the animal’s portrayals in the Exeter Book Riddles and of monstrous creatures in the Wonders of the East provided a fertile field for research because these texts, rarely connected to allegorical readings and offering viewpoints that might be seen as complementary, deal with fundamental issues regarding what it meant to be human for Early Medieval English society.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
