Animal Skins and the Reading Self in Medieval Latin and French BestiariesSarah Kay s interests in this book are, first, to examine how medieval bestiaries depict and challenge the boundary between humans and other animals; and second, to register the effects on readers of bestiaries by the simple fact that parchment, the writing support of virtually all medieval texts, is a refined form of animal skin. Surveying the most important works created from the ninth through the thirteenth centuries, Kay connects nature to behavior to Christian doctrine or moral teaching across a range of texts. As Kay shows, medieval thought (like today) was fraught with competing theories about human exceptionalism within creation. Given that medieval bestiaries involve the inscription of texts about and images of animals onto animal hides, these texts, she argues, invite readers to reflect on the inherent fragility of bodies, both human and animal, and the difficulty of distinguishing between skin as a site of mere inscription and skin as a containing envelope for sentient life. It has been more than fifty years since the last major consideration of medieval Latin and French bestiaries was published. Kay brings us up to date in the archive, and contributes to current discussions among animal studies theorists, manuscript studies scholars, historians of the book, and medievalists of many stripes." |
Contents
Skin Suture and Caesura | 1 |
1 Book Word Page | 23 |
2 Garments of Skin | 41 |
3 Orifices and the Library | 63 |
Sacrifice Sovereignty and the Space of Exception | 87 |
5 The Riddle of Recognition | 108 |
6 Skin the Inner Senses and the Soul as Inner Life | 128 |
Other editions - View all
Animal Skins and the Reading Self in Medieval Latin and French Bestiaries Sarah Kay Limited preview - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
Aberdeen Bestiary Adam naming Agamben allegory animal skin animot anthropological machine Anzieu Augustine Aviarium B-Isidore Baxter Beaver bestiae Bestiaire d'amours Bestiary of Pierre Bibliothèque BnF lat Bodleian body Bonnacon Book of Beasts Book of Birds British Library BSB clm Caladrius Cambridge chapter Christ Clark claustro College copied Corpus Christi College creatures Crocodile depicted Dicta Chrysostomi divine Elephant Etymologies face female Figure flesh Fouilloy Gervaise Guillaume le Clerc H bestiary Harpy Hassig henceforth cited hole Homo Sacer Hydrus Hyena illustrations inner involucrum Isidore Lion Long Version meaning Medieval Bestiaries metaphors mirror Morgan naked naming the animals nature Onocentaur orifices parchment Paris Pelican Photograph Physiologus picture Pierre de Beauvais plate reader reading redaction represented resemblance Richard de Fournival Saint Second family Serpent sexual Skin Ego snakes soul spiritual surface Tiger tion tradition tunics of skin twelfth century Unicorn vernacular bestiaries Viper words