Monsters, Gender and Sexuality in Medieval English Literature

245 Pages·2010·10.62 MB·English

by  Dana M. Oswald

spine 20.5mm
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Monsters abound in Old and Middle English literature, from Grendel and S
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his mother in Beowulf to those found in medieval romances such as Sir T
Gowther. Through a close examination of the way in which their bodies IE
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are sexed and gendered, and drawing from postmodern theories of gender, R
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identity, and subjectivity, this book interrogates medieval notions of the S
A
,
body and the boundaries of human identity.
LG
Case studies of Wonders of the East, Beowulf, Mandeville’s Travels, the

Alliterative Morte Arthure and Sir Gowther reveal a shift in attitudes toward EE Monsters,
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the gendered and sexed body, and thus toward identity, between the two
periods: while Old English authors and artists respond to the threat of GD
the gendered, monstrous form by erasing it, Middle English writers allow LE
Gender and
transgressive and monstrous bodies to transform and therefore integrate IR
S
into society. This metamorphosis enables redemption for some monsters,
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while other monstrous bodies become dangerously flexible and invisible,
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threatening the communities they infiltrate. These changing cultural L
Sexuality
reactions to monstrous bodies demonstrate the precarious relationship ID
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between body and identity in medieval literature.
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DAnA M. OswAlD is Assistant Professor of English, University of wisconsin- RE IN MEDIEVAL

Parkside. AX
U ENGLISH
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Cover: The Tusked Woman, as described in wonders of the East (c.1025– A
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1050), BL MS Cotton Tiberias B.v., f. 85 r (© The British Library). L LITERATURE
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Series: Gender in the Middle Ages
Dana M. Oswald
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a
l
d
an imprint of Boydell & Brewer ltd
PO Box 9, woodbridge IP12 3DF (GB) and
668 Mt Hope Ave, Rochester nY14620-2731 (Us)
www.boydellandbrewer.com
Gender in the Middle Ages
Volume 5
MONSTERS, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY
IN MEDIEVAL ENGLISH LITERATURE
MonstersaboundinOldandMiddleEnglishliterature,fromGrendeland
hismotherinBeowulftothosefoundinmedievalromancessuchasSir
Gowther.Throughacloseexaminationofthewayinwhichtheirbodies
are sexed and gendered, and drawing from postmodern theories of
gender,identity,andsubjectivity,thisbookinterrogatesmedievalnotions
of the body and the boundaries of human identity. Case studies of
WondersoftheEast,Beowulf,Mandeville’sTravels,theAlliterativeMorte
Arthure,andSirGowtherrevealashiftinattitudestowardthegendered
andsexedbody,andthustowardidentity,betweenthetwoperiods:while
Old English authors and artists respond to the threat of the gendered,
monstrousformbyerasingit,MiddleEnglishwritersallowtransgressive
andmonstrousbodiestotransformandthereforeintegrateintosociety.
Thismetamorphosisenablesredemptionforsomemonsters,whileother
monstrousbodiesbecomedangerouslyflexibleandinvisible,threatening
the communities they infiltrate. These changing cultural reactions to
monstrousbodiesdemonstratetheprecariousrelationshipbetweenbody
and identity in medieval literature.
DANA M. OSWALD is Assistant Professor of English, University of
Wisconsin-Parkside.
Gender in the Middle Ages
ISSN 1742–870X
Series Editors
Jacqueline Murray
Diane Watt
Editorial Board
John Aenold Clare Lees
Katherine Lewis Karma Lochrie
This series investigates the representation and construction of masculinity and
feminity in the Middle Ages from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary
perspectives.Itaimsinparticulartoexplorethediversityofmedievalgenders,andsuch
interrelatedcontextsandissuesofsexuality,socialclass,raceandethnicity,andortho-
doxy and hereodoxy.
Proposals or queries should be sent in the first instance to the editors or to the
publisher,attheaddressesgivenbelow;allsubmissionsreceivepromptandinformed
consideration.
ProfessorJacquelineMurray,DepartmentofHistory,UniversityofGuelph,Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
Professor Diane Watt, Department of English, Aberystwyth University, Penglais,
Aberystwyth, SY23 3DY, UK
Boydell & Brewer Limited, PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
Also in this series
I Gender and Medieval Drama, Katie Normington, 2004
II Gender and Petty Crime in Late Medieval England: The Local Courts in Kent,
1460–1560 , Karen Jones, 2006
III The Pastoral Care of Women in Late Medieval England, Beth Allison Bart, 2008
IV Gender,NationandConquestintheWorksofWilliamofMalmesbury,KirstenA.
Fenton, 2008
MONSTERS, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY
IN MEDIEVAL ENGLISH LITERATURE
Dana Oswald
D. S. BREWER
© Dana Oswald 2010
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
The right of Dana M. Oswald to be identified as
the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published 2010
D. S. Brewer
ISBN 978–1–84384–232–3
D. S. Brewer is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A catalogue record for this title is available
from the British Library
This publication is printed on acid-free paper
Typeset by Pru Harrison, Hacheston, Suffolk
Printed in Great Britain by
CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements vii
List of Figures viii
Introduction: Sex and the Single Monster 1
1. The Indecent Bodies of theWonders of the East 27
2. Dismemberment as Erasure: the Monstrous Body inBeowulf 66
3. Circulation and Transformation: The Monstrous Feminine in 116
Mandeville’sTravels
4. Paternity and Monstrosity in the AlliterativeMorte Arthure 159
andSir Gowther
Conclusion: Transformation and the Trace of the Monster 197
Bibliography 209
Index 221
For Drew – who opened the eyes of my eyes
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iamgratefulforthemanyintellectualcommunitiesthatsustainedmethroughout
thisproject.NickHowe’sreadingsofmedievaltextsandoftheworldinformmany
aspectsofmythinkinginthiswork.Icouldnothavecompletedthisbookwithout
hisnotesonthepageandhisvoiceinmyhead.Iamdeeplysadthatheisnolonger
heretoreadit.Iamhonoredbythecommitmentofwisdom,time,andsupport
fromtheDepartmentofEnglishatTheOhioStateUniversity,particularlyfrom
mygenerousadvisorsDrewJones,LisaKiser,andEthanKnapp.ThecommunityI
encounteredattheUniversityofWisconsin-Parksidewascrucialtomydevelop-
mentofthisproject: IextendthankstoWaltGraffin,FranKavenik,JayMcRoy,
Mary Lenard, and Patrick McGuire, who supported my research with advice,
coursereleases,andresearchfunding,andtoSandyMoatsandTeresaCoronado,
who talked and wrote with me.
I thank the manuscript curators at The British and Bodleian Libraries, who
allowedmeaccesstotheiramazingmanuscriptcollections.Iaminspiredbymy
colleagues in monster studies, especially Asa Mittman, Susan Kim, and Debra
Strickland,andamthankfulfortheirinsightandadvice.ItisTomBredehoftwho
first set me on the path of medieval studies, for which I am forever grateful.
Iwouldliketothankmyreaders,firstandforemostJenniferCamden,whoread
every word on every page of this book. I also received the advice of Robyn
Malo-Johnston,EileenJoy,RobinNorris,TomBredehoft,MaryRamsey,Theresa
Kulbaga,MelissaIanetta,SuzannaSchroeder,AmyLenegar,andmyanonymous
reviewers: thanks for your many hours of work. I would also like to thank my
writinggroupatOSU,especiallySusanWilliams,whosecommitmenttocollegi-
ality and intellectual rigor is unparalleled.
Theideasinthisbookhaveoftenbegunintheclassroom,soImustthankmy
students,particularlythoseinLiteraryAnalysis,whoworkedsodiligentlywiththe
textofBeowulfandthetheoriesofFreud,Lacan,Kristeva,Sedgwick,Halberstam,
Rubin,andDerrida.Theirfreshideasandenthusiasmremainaninspirationfor
my work.
Finally,thankstomydearfriendsandfamily,wholistenedendlesslytodiscus-
sionsregardingmonsters’genitals.Specialthankstomymother,whotaughtme
thespiritofadventureinthepagesofabook,andtomyhusbandandbestfriend,
Drew Carmichael, who has been with me for every step of this odyssey.
MythanksgototheSeriesEditorofGenderintheMiddleAges,DianeWatt,
andmyeditorsatBoydell&Brewer,CarolinePalmerandRohaisHaughton,who
have given me endless patience and support.
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Image1:Blemmye,WondersoftheEast,London,theBritishLibrary,MSCotton
Tiberius B.v., fol. 82r (© the British Library Board)
Image2:Donestre,WondersoftheEast,London,theBritishLibrary,MSCotton
Tiberius B.v., fol. 83v (© the British Library Board)
Image3:Donestre,TheWondersoftheEast,London,BritishLibrary,MSCotton
Vitellius A.xv., fol. 103v (© the British Library Board)
Image4:Donestre,WondersoftheEast,Oxford,BodleianLibrary,MSBodley614,
fol. 43r (© the Bodleian Library, the University of Oxford)
Image5:Women:huntressandtuskedwoman,WondersoftheEast,London,the
British Library, MS Cotton Tiberius B.v., fol. 85r (© the British Library Board)
Image6:Huntress,WondersoftheEast,Oxford,BodleianLibrary,MSBodley614,
fol. 44v (© the Bodleian Library, the University of Oxford)
Image7:Women:huntressandtuskedwoman,TheWondersoftheEast,London,
British Library, MS Cotton Vitellius A.xv., fol. 105v (© the British Library Board)
Image 8: Tusked woman, Wonders of the East, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS
Bodley 614, fol. 45r (© the Bodleian Library, the University of Oxford)
viii
INTRODUCTION
Sex and the Single Monster
Themindneedsmonsters.Monstersembodyallthatisdangerousand
horrible in the human imagination. – David Gilmore (1)
For all of the famed restrictions of Christian doctrine and medieval
modesofsocialconduct,theMiddleAgeswas,perhapsparadoxically,a
periodthatappearstohaveaccommodated,inwaysourliberalsociety
doesnotorseemsnotto,whatwemightbroadlycalltherude,bawdyor
obscene.Butthatdoesnotmeanthat,atdifferenttimesandindifferent
ways,itwasnotcontentiousnorthatitwasdevoidofthepowertoshock
oroffend,aswellastotitillateandexcite.–NicolaMcDonald(2)
JOHANNES HARTLIEB’s 1461 portrait of Alexander the Great shows us a
surprisingversionoftheGreekleader(asreprintedinPetzoldtandNeubauer
41).ThisAlexanderwearsanelaboratethree-peakedcrownandawell-cuttunic,
neither unusual nor inappropriate attire. His nose is decidedly Roman and his
eyebrowspinchtogetherinconsternationoverlight-coloredeyesthatlookintelli-
gent.Despiteallthesignsofroyaltyandrefinement,thisAlexanderbearstwosigns
ofbarbarity:slendertusksprotrudingfromhischeeksandanunkemptbeardand
hair.Hisclothestellusofhiswealthandpoliticalsignificance,buthiscrudeanimal
attributes interrupt and contradict this story. Hartlieb portrays Alexander as a
manovertakenbythemysteriousEasthehopedtoconquer.Justasthelandsthat
heconqueredwereknownasbarbaroustomedievalreadersandviewers,sotoo
doesAlexander’sphysicalforminthisimagereflecttheperceivedqualitiesofthese
lands.ContactwiththesavagelandsoftheEasthaschangedaleaderofcivilization
intothemonsterasrepresentedbyHartlieb.Thoughdressedintheproperattire
and still obviously human in his facial features, this Alexander cannot hide his
corruption.Itpeeksthroughintousledhair,anuntidybeard,and,moststrikingly,
those intractable tusks.
ThisfifteenthcenturyGermanpaintingoffersoneperspectiveofthemonstrous
human body in medieval culture. The image suggests that congress with the
dangerouslandsoftheEastvisiblycontaminatesthehumanbodyofAlexander–
andindeed,inmuchearlymedievalliterature,themonstrousexistsonlyindistant
placeslikethemarvel-filledEast.Astheimagealsoimplies,humanslikeAlexander
desire contact with the monstrous and find its very liminality fascinating and
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