Marvels, Monsters and Miracles in Anglo-Saxon England

Overview

The very nature of marvels insists on their subjectivity: they are defined by the experience of their viewer. To marvel from the Latin mirari or to wonder from the Germanic wundar is to be filled with awe, surprise, admiration or astonishment. When we try to generalise about the meaning of marvels and the use of wonder in the Middle Ages, we are confronted with multiplicity. How do we read marvels? What’s their role in medieval texts? Are monsters and miracles to be read as marvels? One of the most critical tools for discussing the nature of difference that is central to the marvellous is the idea of the ‘Other’ which offers both psychological and political means of analysing the experience of wonder. The Anglo-Saxons were fascinated by the idea of encounters with strangeness and difference – a fascination that expressed itself in a rich and diverse rang of textual, artistic and geographical representations of such imaginings. Difference was considered both marvellous and monstrous; terrifying and fascinating; disgusting and desirable.
This module examines the perceptions of the marvellous and monstrous in the literature of the Anglo-Saxons. It investigates the nature of those phenomena which the Anglo-Saxons experienced as marvels, how they interpreted their experiences of astonishment and how they recreated them for others. It analyses the importance of ‘marvellous difference’ in defining ethnic, racial, religious, class and gender identities, as represented in different genres including historiography (i.e. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle), travel narratives (Wonders of the East, Alexander’s Letter to Aristotle etc), hagiography (i.e. The Life of St Christopher) and other literary texts including Beowulf, Judith, Genesis B.
Texts in Latin, Old Norse and Middle English may be used for comparative purposes. Modern English translations will be provided for all the texts. Students are also expected to be able to engage with texts in Old English.

Learning Objectives

On completion of the module students should be able to:
-Demonstrate a critical awareness of a variety of early medieval concepts and constructions of otherness and difference;
-Show a familiarity with a range of medieval texts, genres and cultural concepts;
-Demonstrate the ability to engage with both contemporary critical concepts and their applicability to pre-modern texts;
-Show evidence of independent research and study skills;
-Use relevant electronic databases to further their written work;
-Demonstrate a consistent level of contribution to seminar discussions.

Skills

This module will enable students to:
-Develop an informed sense of the complexity of concepts such as monstrosity, marvellous, superstition, miracle, religion, otherness;
-Consider and evaluate how difference (racial, religious, gender, national) was conceptualised in early medieval English culture;
-Acquire an understanding of various literary texts in relation to their cultural context and audience;
-Develop an ability to engage critically with the primary material as well as familiarity with modern scholarly and critical approaches;
Apply independent thought and academic research skills.

Assessment

None