University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The serpent woman as a grotesque in French, English, and German medieval narrative

Dwyer, Carola W.

Content Files
DWYER-DISSERTATION-2015.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89144

Description

Title
The serpent woman as a grotesque in French, English, and German medieval narrative
Author(s)
Dwyer, Carola W.
Issue Date
2015-12-04
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
  • Fresco, Karen L.
  • Bornholdt, Claudia
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Fresco, Karen L.
Committee Member(s)
  • Stenport, Anna W.
  • Kalinke, Marianne
Department of Study
Comparative & World Literature
Discipline
Comparative Literature
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2016-03-02T20:24:11Z
Keyword(s)
  • medieval grotesque
  • grotesque women
  • serpent women
  • Melusine
  • medieval romance
  • höfischer Roman
  • Middle English
  • popular romance
  • Blonde Esmeree
  • Lybeaus Desconus
  • Bel Inconnu
  • comparative grotesque
  • grotesque
  • Thüring von Ringoltingen
  • Volksbuch
  • prose novel
  • Li Biaus Descouneüs
Abstract
In contemporary theory and artistic representation, the grotesque is understood as a creative space in which the depiction of a peculiar individual or event assembled in some disproportionate and disparate form turns human society on its head. In a medieval representation the rules are different insofar as that medieval literature is riddled with extraordinary creatures, places, and events. This comparative study investigates the female grotesque within the framework of courtly romance. By establishing a definition of the grotesque that combines contemporary theory with medieval literary concepts, history, and philosophy, a critical reading of four hybrid women, half-human, half-serpent, who have been previously described as monstrous becomes possible. It shows that these serpent women are examples of a female grotesque, a term rarely applied to medieval literature. The characters are true Other in that they are neither human nor beast. I apply the term “grotesque” to four women who challenge their societies’ views on expectations of women and the dynamic between the knights who pursue them. These serpents are grotesque because they are noblewomen with characters, behavior, and status that conform to courtly culture, but appear in ugly and misshapen bodies that reveal at least one audaciously feminine feature desired by medieval knights. Although the women are pivotal for the men’s development, the knights are unexpectedly overwhelmed and mocked. That brings about a double effect that challenges cultural norms on various levels and exposes paradoxes, such as the correlation between appearance and power and generates at least one common women and gender issue in this medieval study and beyond: when the woman loses her human form and becomes ugly, she gains power.
Graduation Semester
2015-12
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89144
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2015 Carola Dwyer

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Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Comparative and World Literature