This dissertation examines the intersection between theories of body and of genre through the lens of cognitive science. It focuses, in particular, on representations of bodies in exemplars of fabliaux in Old French and Middle English, chivalric romance that feature the figure of Sir Gawain, and the Latin Chronicle of Bury St Edmunds. This dissertation establishes genre theory on cognitive-scientific ground by considering how embodied cognition influences both theories of genre and the representations of bodies. It argues that, rather than a container into which works fit, genre is a network of associations created in the minds of authors and audiences. This network finds expression in the bodies of characters, which differ across genres. It argues, moreover, that genre and bodies influence, in fundamental ways, interpretations of literary works. Finally, this work discusses the possibilities for future research using methods for quantitative textual analysis and data visualization common in the digital humanities. / text

Scholarship on medieval contrafacture has long been engaged in the Kontrafakturjagd, the hunt for songs whose textual and structural similarities suggest they might also share melodies. By making melodies freely exchangeable, this practice has tended to treat the music of medieval song as if it were an empty vessel, overlooking the ways in which contrafacta might construct musical meaning to serve various political, devotional, or aesthetic ends. Rather than making a case for contrafacture among songs whose shared melodies are questionable, this dissertation provides a context rich perspective on certain groups of 'close contrafacta' - songs whose status as contrafacta is already known and supported by strong musical, textual, and contextual evidence. In five case studies, all of which take at least one song from the trouvère repertory, and which represent the most common contrafact genres - political serventois, Marian song, and crusade song - I consider the ways in which their melodies could signify. More specifically, I examine the interrelated layers of the melody's performed sound structures, its cuing of previous texts on the listener, and its integration of old and new contexts. The case studies reveal a culture that cared about melodic association and used it in sophisticated ways. In the first two chapters, which address political contrafacture, the music's textual associations form a background against which the contrafact text reacts ironically, while its melodic origins evoke precise geopolitical loyalties or antagonisms. The third and fourth chapters on Marian song, conversely, point toward efforts to intensify and develop a song's meaning through contrafacture, while the fifth chapter's contrafact text cites its own affective reason for melodic re-use. In all case studies, not only does the music cue text and context synoptically; its performed structures also intensify and subvert textual meanings, showing how music can enrich literary interpretations of medieval song.

abstract: ABSTRACT There are many parts of speech and morphological items in a linguistic lexicon that may be optional in order to have a cohesive language with a complete range of expression. Negation is not one of them. Negation appears to be absolutely essential from a linguistic (and indeed, a psychological) point of view within any human language. Humans need to be able to say in some fashion "No" and to express our not doing things in various ways. During the discussions that appear in this thesis, I expound upon the historical changes that can be seen within three different language branches - North Germanic (with Gothic, Old Saxon, Old Norse, Swedish, and Icelandic), West Germanic (with English), and Celtic (with Welsh) - focusing on negation particles in particular and their position within these languages. I also examine how each of these chosen languages has seen negation shift over time in relation to Jespersen's negation cycle. Finally, I compare and contrast the results I see from these languages, demonstrating that they all three do follow a distinct negation cycle. I also explain how these three negation cycles are chronologically not in sync with one another and obviously all changed at different rates. This appears to be the case even within the different branches of the Germanic family. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. English 2014

The variety of scholarly approaches to the Middle High German poem Das Nibelungenlied has generated a wide range of conflicting analyses of the character of Hagen, a figure who plays a key role in both the plot and the interpretation of the work. This thesis proposes that viewing Hagen’s relationship with Siegfried in relation to the poem’s central theme of loyalty (triuwe) allows for an analysis that integrates both the positive and negative aspects of Hagen’s character. By examining the depiction of courtly rivalry in four contemporary Middle High German works (Herzog Ernst B, Wolfdietrich A, Tristan, and Parzival), I outline the basic features of this common medieval narrative structure and then apply the same framework to a close reading of the relationship between Hagen and Siegfried in the Nibelungenlied. I also argue that the incorporation of the courtly rivalry motif as a unifying theme of the text allows the poet to take a stance on the broader issue of loyalty conflict, a topic which appears frequently in contemporary literature and had particular relevance within the political climate of medieval Germany. My reading of the character of Hagen can thus hopefully shed new light on the thematic structure of the Nibelungenlied as well as on the relationship between the poem and the literary and historical context in which it was written.

This thesis unravels the deeper meanings attributed to ordinary objects, such as clothing and food, in thirteenth-century Icelandic literature and legal records. I argue that women weaponized these ordinary objects to circumvent their social and legal disadvantages by performing acts that medieval Icelandic society deemed masculine. By comparing various literary sources, however, I show that medieval Icelandic society gradually redefined and questioned the acceptability of that behavior, especially during the thirteenth-century. This is particularly evident in the late thirteenth-century Njal’s Saga, wherein a woman named Hallgerd has been villainized for stealing cheese from a troublesome neighbor. If Hallgerd were a man, this behavior would have been considered rán, which was a masculine act whereby men challenged one another to take things by force. As a woman, however, Hallgerd’s clever use of ordinary objects was unsettling to men; her act, although mirroring the masculine expectations of rán, has been condemned by the author. Thus, by emphasizing the anxieties of men regarding such behavior, it is evident that later male authors, particularly those writing from the late thirteenth century onwards, considered this behavior as preventing society’s progression away from extra-legal conflict resolution. In doing so, the author of Njal’s Saga demonstrated that both women and men were aware of the power that these ordinary objects had in the hands of ambitious women, as well as how potentially dangerous and harmful to society they could be.

This thesis presents translations of Kazashi no himegimi and Sakuraume no sōshi, two tales belonging to the genre of medieval Japanese narrative known as otogi-zōshi, and of the subcategory known as iruimono (tales of non-humans). Chapter 1 provides context, beginning with a brief history of otogi-zōshi and a description of residual challenges in its research, including the parameters of the genre and problems with its nomenclature. This is followed by a discussion of the typical physical formats of these tales, Nara ehon and emaki, and a brief history of iruimono and plant symbolism in otogi-zōshi completes the chapter. Literary analysis of Kazashi no himegimi and Sakuraume no sōshi in Chapter 2 focuses on the irui characters in each tale, describing their motivations and the effect they have on the humans they interact with. Format, plot, and character are compared and contrasted for each tale, and the textual sources are briefly described. Chapter 3 provides complete translations for Kazashi no himegimi and Sakuraume no sōshi with annotations for obscure words, puns, and meanings that may be unclear in the text. The chapter ends with a conclusion discussing aspects of the tales that might usefully be explored further.

Ce travail analyse les transformations du Graal en comparant sa représentation dans les romans médiévaux et dans trois textes de théâtre modernes. Le Graal, apparu dans la littérature au Moyen Âge, reste une source d'inspiration pour les écrivains modernes au point de gagner, avec le temps, un statut légendaire. L'objet de prédilection de la littérature arthurienne a évolué de façon significative dès le Moyen Âge, où il reste cependant confiné aux formes narratives. Après le « festival scénique sacré » (Bühnenweihfestspiel), Parsifal, de Wagner présenté en 1882 à Bayreuth, des œuvres plus récentes réactualisent le mythe en cherchant à l'adapter au théâtre. Jean Cocteau, en 1937, dans Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, présente un Graal inaccessible, immatériel. En 1948, Julien Gracq, dans Le Roi Pêcheur, inscrit le Graal dans l'opposition entre le profane et le sacré. Jacques Roubaud et Florence Delay, dans les éditions de 1977 et 2005 de Graal Théâtre, optent pour une récriture où les représentations du mythe se côtoient et se confrontent. Ces textes de théâtre modernes, où la représentation du Graal se situe au cœur du projet d'écriture, entrent ainsi en relation directe avec les œuvres médiévales. Ils s'inscrivent dans une redéfinition de l'objet qui se renouvelle sans cesse depuis Le Conte du Graal de Chrétien de Troyes. Dans les trois cas, la représentation du Graal entretient des relations contradictoires de filiation et de rupture avec la littérature arthurienne de l'époque médiévale. L'hypothèse principale de cette recherche se situe dans la problématique de la récriture comme transformation d'un héritage. Plus précisément, il sera question de comprendre comment la représentation du Graal dans les textes de théâtre pose problème et comment cette question est modulée, travaillée par les auteurs en termes rhétoriques, stylistiques et dramaturgiques. L'utilisation de la parodie, d'anachronismes et de voix dramatiques nouvelles, par exemple, permet aux auteurs modernes de revisiter et de changer le rapport à l'objet. Le Graal se redéfinit dans des contextes historiques et dans un genre distincts de leur source du Moyen Âge. / This work examines the transformations of the Holy Grail from medieval romances to modern plays. The Holy Grail, which first appeared in the Middle Ages, remains a source of inspiration for modern writers and gained, over time, a legendary status. This important feature of Arthurian literature has evolved significantly since the Middle Ages, where it remained however confined to narrative forms. After the festival (Bühnenweihfestspiel) where Wagner’s Parsifal was first presented in 1882 in Bayreuth, more recent works have renewed the myth by adapting it to the theatre. Jean Cocteau, in 1937, in Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, presented an inaccessible and intangible Grail. In 1948, Julien Gracq, in Le Roi Pêcheur, placed the Grail at the core of the opposition between profane and sacred. Jacques Roubaud and Florence Delay, in editions of 1977 and 2005 of Graal Théatre, opted for a rewriting where contradictory representations of the myth coexist. These modern dramas, where the representation of the Grail is at the center of the writing experience, are thus in direct connection with medieval works. They are part of a redefinition of the object that has constantly renewed itself since Chrétien de Troyes’ Conte du Graal. In all three cases, the representation of the Grail shows conflicting relationships with the medieval Arthurian literary heritage. The main hypothesis of this research lies in the idea that rewriting has to do with the transformation of a legacy. More specifically, it comes to understand how the representation of the Holy Grail is dealt with in modern dramas, how it is modulated by the authors in rhetorical, stylistic and dramaturgical terms. The use of parody, anachronisms and new dramatic voices, for example, allows modern authors to revisit and change their relation to this object. The Grail is thus redefined in different historical contexts and in a genre quite distinct from medieval romances.

This dissertation explores references to islands in 13th and 14th century Iberian literature in a corpus of encyclopedias, travel books and chivalry novels from 1223 through 1396. I explore how island geography became part of the Medieval imago mundi. Many Medieval readers were interested in these faraway lands where, they believed, monstrous races flourished, sea monsters lurked, and Paradise awaited to be rediscovered. The physical and human geography featured in these narratives, gave birth to an imaginary, utopian, exotic, extravagant, and mysterious concept of “islandness” located in idyllic places to be interpreted as cognitive maps of the social, politic and economic conventions of the era. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute with a new approach to Medieval Island Studies by means of a rhetorical analysis in geography through tropes (metaphor, synecdoche, metonym and irony) and fiction modes (romance, tragedy and comedy). This proposal assumes that the author-narrator is a self-aware geographer willing to satiate the desires and prejudices of its audience by constructing an attractive narrative that may stimulate a longing for this unattainable island world.

This study seeks to clarify the identities of the Almoravid and Almohad Berber movements in the larger Crusade narrative. The two North African Islamic groups are often carelessly placed within the group identified as “Islam” in discussions about the series of military campaigns that took place not only in the traditional Holy Land but also throughout regions of the Mediterranean such as Spain; this generalized identifier of “Islam” is placed against a much more complex group of generally Christian parties, all of them seen as separate, unique groups under the umbrella identifier of Christianity. This foray into a late 13thcentury North African Arabic history of the two groups will attempt to build a more robust identity for the two groups. The way in which they were remembered by their immediate successors will reveal far more interesting parties than simply zealous Muslims waging jihad. Their presence in the region is primarily remembered by their military involvement with Christian forces in the region, though the history of Muhammad ibn Idhari, written around 1295, reveals the groups and their ideologies to be far more complicated than simply meets the eye.

Ce travail analyse les transformations du Graal en comparant sa représentation dans les romans médiévaux et dans trois textes de théâtre modernes. Le Graal, apparu dans la littérature au Moyen Âge, reste une source d'inspiration pour les écrivains modernes au point de gagner, avec le temps, un statut légendaire. L'objet de prédilection de la littérature arthurienne a évolué de façon significative dès le Moyen Âge, où il reste cependant confiné aux formes narratives. Après le « festival scénique sacré » (Bühnenweihfestspiel), Parsifal, de Wagner présenté en 1882 à Bayreuth, des œuvres plus récentes réactualisent le mythe en cherchant à l'adapter au théâtre. Jean Cocteau, en 1937, dans Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, présente un Graal inaccessible, immatériel. En 1948, Julien Gracq, dans Le Roi Pêcheur, inscrit le Graal dans l'opposition entre le profane et le sacré. Jacques Roubaud et Florence Delay, dans les éditions de 1977 et 2005 de Graal Théâtre, optent pour une récriture où les représentations du mythe se côtoient et se confrontent. Ces textes de théâtre modernes, où la représentation du Graal se situe au cœur du projet d'écriture, entrent ainsi en relation directe avec les œuvres médiévales. Ils s'inscrivent dans une redéfinition de l'objet qui se renouvelle sans cesse depuis Le Conte du Graal de Chrétien de Troyes. Dans les trois cas, la représentation du Graal entretient des relations contradictoires de filiation et de rupture avec la littérature arthurienne de l'époque médiévale. L'hypothèse principale de cette recherche se situe dans la problématique de la récriture comme transformation d'un héritage. Plus précisément, il sera question de comprendre comment la représentation du Graal dans les textes de théâtre pose problème et comment cette question est modulée, travaillée par les auteurs en termes rhétoriques, stylistiques et dramaturgiques. L'utilisation de la parodie, d'anachronismes et de voix dramatiques nouvelles, par exemple, permet aux auteurs modernes de revisiter et de changer le rapport à l'objet. Le Graal se redéfinit dans des contextes historiques et dans un genre distincts de leur source du Moyen Âge. / This work examines the transformations of the Holy Grail from medieval romances to modern plays. The Holy Grail, which first appeared in the Middle Ages, remains a source of inspiration for modern writers and gained, over time, a legendary status. This important feature of Arthurian literature has evolved significantly since the Middle Ages, where it remained however confined to narrative forms. After the festival (Bühnenweihfestspiel) where Wagner’s Parsifal was first presented in 1882 in Bayreuth, more recent works have renewed the myth by adapting it to the theatre. Jean Cocteau, in 1937, in Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, presented an inaccessible and intangible Grail. In 1948, Julien Gracq, in Le Roi Pêcheur, placed the Grail at the core of the opposition between profane and sacred. Jacques Roubaud and Florence Delay, in editions of 1977 and 2005 of Graal Théatre, opted for a rewriting where contradictory representations of the myth coexist. These modern dramas, where the representation of the Grail is at the center of the writing experience, are thus in direct connection with medieval works. They are part of a redefinition of the object that has constantly renewed itself since Chrétien de Troyes’ Conte du Graal. In all three cases, the representation of the Grail shows conflicting relationships with the medieval Arthurian literary heritage. The main hypothesis of this research lies in the idea that rewriting has to do with the transformation of a legacy. More specifically, it comes to understand how the representation of the Holy Grail is dealt with in modern dramas, how it is modulated by the authors in rhetorical, stylistic and dramaturgical terms. The use of parody, anachronisms and new dramatic voices, for example, allows modern authors to revisit and change their relation to this object. The Grail is thus redefined in different historical contexts and in a genre quite distinct from medieval romances.