Monsters II: Monstrous Gender

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Monsters: The Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory and Practical Application (MEARCSTAPA)

Organizer Name

Asa Simon Mittman, Melissa Ridley Elmes

Organizer Affiliation

California State Univ.-Chico, Univ. of North Carolina-Greensboro

Presider Name

Tina Boyer

Presider Affiliation

Wake Forest Univ.

Paper Title 1

Size Does Matter: The Monstrous Masculinity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Giant Goemagog and the Cerne Abbas Giant

Presenter 1 Name

Lorraine K. Stock

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Houston

Paper Title 2

Monster as Mirror: The Role of the Morrígan in the Táin Bó Cúailnge

Presenter 2 Name

Elizabeth Kempton

Presenter 2 Affiliation

St. Louis Univ.

Paper Title 3

Sympathy for the Deofol: Marginalization and Masculinity in the Character of Grendel

Presenter 3 Name

Elizabeth Maffetone

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Indiana Univ.-Bloomington

Start Date

8-5-2014 7:30 PM

Session Location

Schneider 1350

Description

Recent trends in monster scholarship are developing a strong focus on the imbrications of monstrosity and gender. We are looking for papers that address the intersection of gender and monstrosity in interesting, unusual, provocative and meaningful ways. We especially encourage papers that seek to move beyond the more traditional uses of monster and gender theories in medieval studies to consider how these categories of thinking can intersect, challenge, problematize, corroborate, support, and inform one another. Interdisciplinary approaches including but not limited to the consideration of monstrous gender in literature, language, history, art history, architecture, philosophy, religion, politics, and/or cultural studies are highly welcome.

Asa S. Mittman