Deformed Discourse: The Function of the Monster in Mediaeval Thought and Literature

by David Williams

Part I traces the poetics of teratology, the study of monsters, to Christian neoplatonic theology and philosophy, particularly Pseudo-Dionysius's negative theology and his central idea that God cannot be known except by knowing what he is not. Williams argues that the principles of negative theology as applied to epistemology and language made possible a symbolism of negation and paradox whose chief sign was the monster. Part II provides a taxonomy of monstrous forms with a gloss on each, and Part III examines the monstrous and the deformed in three heroic sagas -- the medieval Oedipus, The Romance of Alexander, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- and three saints' lives -- Saint Denis, Saint Christopher, and Saint Wilgeforte. The book is beautifully illustrated with medieval representations of monsters. The most comprehensive study of the grotesque in medieval aesthetic expression, Deformed Discourse successfully brings together medieval research and modern criticism.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Medieval

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

David Williams, 1939-2015, was Professor of English at McGill University in Canada from 1967 to 2006, and Emeritus Professor from 2006 until his death.

Reviews

[siya]

shoutout david williams this is so comprehensive and insightful. used in many papers. too many.