Dogs, Dogs, Dogs!

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Special Session

Organizer Name

Laura D. Gelfand

Organizer Affiliation

Utah State Univ.

Presider Name

Vibeke Olson

Presider Affiliation

Univ. of North Carolina-Wilmington

Paper Title 1

Dogs Chasing Hares: Animal Behavior according to Nichomachean Ethics III 13 in Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century Latin Literature

Presenter 1 Name

Pascale Bermon

Presenter 1 Affiliation

CNRS-Paris

Paper Title 2

Doing It Doggy Style on Medieval Seals

Presenter 2 Name

James Robinson

Presenter 2 Affiliation

National Museums Scotland

Paper Title 3

The Dog as Comic Foil in Giotto and Pietro Lorenzetti

Presenter 3 Name

Jane C. Long

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Roanoke College

Paper Title 4

Wolfcubs, the Butchers, and the Beaune Town Council

Presenter 4 Name

Kathleen Ashley

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Univ. of Southern Maine

Start Date

10-5-2013 3:30 PM

Session Location

Schneider 2345

Description

Recent critical attention to the polymorphous categories of human/non-human in medieval art, literature, and thought has focused on the monstrous, the otherworldly, and the threatening. Meanwhile, investigations into the range of practices and beliefs associated with domesticity, friendship, and family have revealed a world far more complex -- and far more familiar to us -- than previously appreciated. Domestic pets stand at the crossroads of these two lines of inquiry. Distinctly Other in their non-human biology and their theological status, pre-modern pets were nonetheless treasured members of the household, beloved companions, and confidantes. This panel features papers that focus on dogs, including their symbolism, breeding, appearance, affective role, economic position, and other dimensions of their interactions with their human owners and the human society in which they participated.

Laura D. Gelfand