FFS 233 - Monsters and Marvels, Medieval to Modern

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

Werewolves, headless men, human–snake hybrids, fish dressed like monks: these and other monsters and marvels captivated premodern France and continue to do so today. While such creatures could provoke wonder and horror, they also reflected anxieties about cultural difference, challenged the boundaries of the human, and probed at the nature of knowledge and belief. What lies beyond the known world? Where does the human end and the animal begin? Whose bodies are considered monstrous? This course takes up such questions raised by the marvelous and monstrous beings of premodern French literature, natural history, and travel accounts. Readings include Marie de France, Chrétien de Troyes, Marco Polo, Rabelais, and Montaigne as well as twenty-first-century adaptations and criticism. Alongside these texts, we pay close attention to visual depictions in maps, medieval illuminations, and early modern illustrations. This course includes visits to Vassar’s Archives and Special Collections Library and, when possible, cultural institutions in the region. Terrence Cullen.

Prerequisite(s): FFS 212.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS