Astrology and Medieval Literature

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Special Session

Organizer Name

Elizabeth Archibald, Evelyn Birge Vitz, Darrelyn Gunzburg

Organizer Affiliation

Durham Univ., New York Univ., Univ. of Bristol

Presider Name

Elizabeth Archibald

Paper Title 1

A Serf at His Gate: Guido Bonatti's Humanism in His Essential Dignities

Presenter 1 Name

Darrelyn Gunzburg

Paper Title 2

The Rabbi, the Pope and the Black Death: Levi ben Gerson's Prognostication for the Conjunction of 1345

Presenter 2 Name

Chris Mitchell

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of Leicester

Start Date

16-5-2015 10:00 AM

Session Location

Schneider 1325

Description

It is commonly acknowledged that after Saint Thomas Aquinas astrology was extremely comfortable in the field of medicine and meteorology. Chaucer scholars are also familiar with his use of astrological concepts and vocabulary within literature, not just in mathematical contexts like his Treatise on the Astrolabe but also in more everyday contexts. The Wife of Bath famously attributes her amorous temperament and forthright style to the joint influence of Venus and Mars. But did many other writers of vernacular literature make astrological allusions? Did they require a highly educated readership/audience? Or was the use of astrology in medieval literature more widespread than is generally assumed? This session invites papers on the uses and expressions of astrology in medieval fiction and poetry, and on the broader context in which such writings were composed and read.

Organisers:
Elizabeth Archibald (Durham University)
Evelyn Birge Vitz (New York University)
Darrelyn Gunzburg (University of Bristol)

Darrelyn Gunzburg