ENG 853 Seminar: Medieval Monsters
In medieval literature heroes are often distinguished by their encounters with monsters and exotic beings of various kinds. These monsters are frighteningly different yet strangely familiar at the same time, and as such define and construct the literary heroes themselves. In this seminar we explore the concept of the monster as other and its role in a variety of literary genres (myths, bestiaries, heroic tales, romances, travelogues, hagiography, etc.) in medieval English literature and select European vernaculars. The course concludes with a substantial research paper.