Medieval Sensory Experience

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Stanford Univ.

Organizer Name

Fiona J. Griffiths

Organizer Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Presider Name

Mae Lyons-Penner

Presider Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Paper Title 1

Volgete Gli Occhi: Seeing and Surveillance in Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Siena

Presenter 1 Name

Danny Smith

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Paper Title 2

"To Taste and See How Sweet Is the Lord": Reading and Sensory Experience in Henry Suso's Booklet of Eternal Wisdom

Presenter 2 Name

Björn Klaus Buschbeck

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Paper Title 3

The Art of the Hunt: The Sensory Experience of a Carolingian Pasttime

Presenter 3 Name

Lora Webb

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Paper Title 4

Icons of Smoke and Scent: Sensory Histories of a "Bardaisanite" Censer

Presenter 4 Name

Erik Odin Yingling

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Start Date

10-5-2018 1:30 PM

Session Location

Schneider 1330

Description

This session explores the epistemology of the senses, asking what role the senses played in medieval cognition, and how modern scholars can access medieval sense experiences, which were, by definition, ephemeral. Setting aside textual descriptions—theoretical, religious, and even medical reflections on the workings and spiritual significance of sensory input—we focus on material witnesses to the medieval sensorium and engage questions of experience, authority, and performance as interpretive tools.

Fiona Griffiths