Sensational Words: Describing Sensory Engagement in the Middle Ages
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Medieval Studies Institute, Indiana Univ.-Bloomington
Organizer Name
Erin E. Sweany
Organizer Affiliation
Indiana Univ.-Bloomington
Presider Name
Erin E. Sweany
Paper Title 1
Conceptualizations of the Sense of Smell in Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
Presenter 1 Name
Daniel C. Najork
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Arizona State Univ.
Paper Title 2
Then I Desired to See: Mediating Marvelous Encounters in the Old English Alexander's Letter to Aristotle
Presenter 2 Name
Meg Gregory
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Washington Univ. in St. Louis
Paper Title 3
"Clyppe ond Cysse": Movement and Communication in Anglo-Saxon Literature
Presenter 3 Name
Rebecca Straple
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Western Michigan Univ.
Start Date
12-5-2018 10:00 AM
Session Location
Fetzer 2040
Description
“Sensational Words” seeks to encourage an interdisciplinary conversation not only about how the senses mediate a person’s subjective knowledge of the material world but also about how the medieval languages of sensory experience distinctively communicate and even shape that experience. As scholars have noted, while the sensorial capacity of the human body has likely changed very little, if at all, since the Middle Ages, the sensorial realities of past humans are notoriously difficult to study and relate to, particularly if we must rely primarily on textual evidence of past human perception. One long-standing example is the difficulty of translating Old English color words. Whether a cup is red, or golden, or glittering, or shining (or perhaps all of these things simultaneously) seems impossible to discern, and these options show fascinating possibilities in the way visual qualities were delineated in Old English. How a sensorial experience is perceived of, articulated, and valued is a significant component of human engagement with the world. This panel welcomes papers that explore the medieval experience and valuation of sensorial engagement with the material world through literary accounts, historical accounts, philosophical studies, or archaeological studies. As an interdisciplinary panel, we welcome papers from any stage of the Middle Ages, any geographical location, and any discipline.
Shannon N. Gayk
Sensational Words: Describing Sensory Engagement in the Middle Ages
Fetzer 2040
“Sensational Words” seeks to encourage an interdisciplinary conversation not only about how the senses mediate a person’s subjective knowledge of the material world but also about how the medieval languages of sensory experience distinctively communicate and even shape that experience. As scholars have noted, while the sensorial capacity of the human body has likely changed very little, if at all, since the Middle Ages, the sensorial realities of past humans are notoriously difficult to study and relate to, particularly if we must rely primarily on textual evidence of past human perception. One long-standing example is the difficulty of translating Old English color words. Whether a cup is red, or golden, or glittering, or shining (or perhaps all of these things simultaneously) seems impossible to discern, and these options show fascinating possibilities in the way visual qualities were delineated in Old English. How a sensorial experience is perceived of, articulated, and valued is a significant component of human engagement with the world. This panel welcomes papers that explore the medieval experience and valuation of sensorial engagement with the material world through literary accounts, historical accounts, philosophical studies, or archaeological studies. As an interdisciplinary panel, we welcome papers from any stage of the Middle Ages, any geographical location, and any discipline.
Shannon N. Gayk