{"product_id":"monsters-gender-and-sexuality-in-medieval-english-literature-9781843842323","title":"Monsters, Gender and Sexuality in Medieval English Literature","description":"\u003cb\u003eA gendered reading of monster and the monstrous body in medieval literature.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMonsters abound in Old and Middle English literature, from Grendel and his mother in \u003ci\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/i\u003e to those found in medieval romances such as \u003ci\u003eSir Gowther\u003c\/i\u003e. Through a close examination of the way in which their bodies are sexed and gendered, and drawing from postmodern theories of gender, identity, and subjectivity, this book interrogates medieval notions of the body and the boundaries of human identity. Case studies of \u003ci\u003eWonders of the East, Beowulf, Mandeville's Travels\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eAlliterative Morte Arthure\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSir Gowther\u003c\/i\u003e reveal a shift in attitudes toward the gendered and sexed body, and thus toward identity, between the two periods: while Old English authors and artists respond to the threat of the gendered, monstrous form by erasing it, Middle English writers allow transgressive and monstrous bodies to transform and therefore integrate into society. This metamorphosis enables redemption for some monsters, while other monstrous bodies become dangerously flexible and invisible, threatening the communities they infiltrate. These changing cultural reactions to monstrous bodies demonstrate the precarious relationship between body and identity in medieval literature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  DANA M. OSWALD is Assistant Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Parkside.","brand":"Dana M Oswald","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48280224465147,"sku":"9781843842323","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/9781843842323.jpg?v=1772487505","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/monsters-gender-and-sexuality-in-medieval-english-literature-9781843842323","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}