CONGRESS CANCELED Fictionality and Belief in Middle English Writing (A Panel Discussion)
Description
Coleridge's famous phrase "the willing suspension of disbelief" implies that disbelief (i.e., secularity) is a pre-condition of fictionality. That argument is made explicitly in Catherine Gallagher's well-known article "The Rise of Fictionality"—but it is also often assumed in medieval studies, as fictionality is localized in secular romance and rarely considered in devotional contexts. This panel considers how acknowledged fictions and sincere belief interact across a range of contexts, from twelfth-century scholastic theories of perception and imagination to Nicholas Love’s expansive and inventive translations, and troubles the boundary between sacred and secular writings, whether in considering Rolle’s epistemological commitments or the devotional resonances of Sir Orfeo’s recognition scenes.
Kathryn Mogk
CONGRESS CANCELED Fictionality and Belief in Middle English Writing (A Panel Discussion)
Fetzer 1060
Coleridge's famous phrase "the willing suspension of disbelief" implies that disbelief (i.e., secularity) is a pre-condition of fictionality. That argument is made explicitly in Catherine Gallagher's well-known article "The Rise of Fictionality"—but it is also often assumed in medieval studies, as fictionality is localized in secular romance and rarely considered in devotional contexts. This panel considers how acknowledged fictions and sincere belief interact across a range of contexts, from twelfth-century scholastic theories of perception and imagination to Nicholas Love’s expansive and inventive translations, and troubles the boundary between sacred and secular writings, whether in considering Rolle’s epistemological commitments or the devotional resonances of Sir Orfeo’s recognition scenes.
Kathryn Mogk