Returning and Not Returning from War: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Loss of Self and Others in Medieval Depictions of Conflict
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Société Rencesvals, American-Canadian Branch
Organizer Name
Stefanie A. Goyette
Organizer Affiliation
Durham Academy
Presider Name
Rebeca Castellanos
Presider Affiliation
Grand Valley State Univ.
Paper Title 1
Looking at Warmongering through New Lenses: Aucassin the Reluctant Hero
Presenter 1 Name
Anne Caillaud
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Grand Valley State Univ.
Paper Title 2
Bruised, Bloody, and Broken: Wounded Knights in Malory's Morte Darthur
Presenter 2 Name
Steven Bruso
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Endicott College
Start Date
9-5-2019 10:00 AM
Session Location
Schneider 1225
Description
Warriors in medieval epic and chivalric romance often seem to return whole from battle even if they lose body parts or family members. They grieve deeply and vocally on the battlefield and then return to their homes or cities, seemingly ready to continue battle in the name of lost kin. But do these warriors exhibit symptoms of trauma stemming from their constant exposure to violence? Does the literal exposure to the interiors of their comrades’ bodies cut into their wholeness and expose their own interiority, as they witness flayed and gutted friends agonizing on the field? Do their own lost limbs flex with phantom pains? If contemplation of the wounds of Christ and the saints begets sympathetic pain in beholders, does the same apply for warriors witnessing casualties on the battlefield?
This panel offers diverse perspectives on these questions and others. Stefanie Goyette
Returning and Not Returning from War: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Loss of Self and Others in Medieval Depictions of Conflict
Schneider 1225
Warriors in medieval epic and chivalric romance often seem to return whole from battle even if they lose body parts or family members. They grieve deeply and vocally on the battlefield and then return to their homes or cities, seemingly ready to continue battle in the name of lost kin. But do these warriors exhibit symptoms of trauma stemming from their constant exposure to violence? Does the literal exposure to the interiors of their comrades’ bodies cut into their wholeness and expose their own interiority, as they witness flayed and gutted friends agonizing on the field? Do their own lost limbs flex with phantom pains? If contemplation of the wounds of Christ and the saints begets sympathetic pain in beholders, does the same apply for warriors witnessing casualties on the battlefield?
This panel offers diverse perspectives on these questions and others. Stefanie Goyette