Giotto, Invdia
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Medicine and the Seven Deadly Sins in Late Medieval Culture
This project examines medical and naturalistic explanations of the seven deadly sins in late medieval culture. Understanding the inter-relationship of ethics and body not only frames interpretations of medieval texts, but also touches upon contemporary concerns. Much debate in popular and scholarly science concerns the value of neuroscientific models that plot motivations and responsibility - our "culpability." There are many examples of how the idea of genetic or physiological dispositions to certain kinds of behavior, ranging from over-eating to assault have shaped both popular and scientific discussions of criminality and legislation of morality. Some scientists have even used the seven deadly sins as an organizing principle. I offer a descriptive and analytical account of the medical imagery used to describe ethical feelings and actions in religious and literary contexts, explored with reference to discussions of behavior and subjectivity in medical contexts. It will draw upon medical and theological writing for its philosophical basis, and upon more popular works of religion, as well as poetry, to show how these themes were articulated, explored and questioned more widely in medieval culture. |
Olaus Magnus, Carta marina
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Visions of the North in Premodernity
This project explores how the North was envisioned from ancient times to the early modern period. We investigate where, who, and what was seen and defined as North over two millennia. While North is related to geographical longitude, it is also a place "made" through cultural work from both insiders and outsiders. By reading sagas, Olaus Magnus' ethnographic work, religious writing, maps, medical texts and illustrations, we expose how the North was contracted as a place and people. While all contributions to this project are historically situated, we approach the material from a variety of disciplines including cultural history, literary studies, art history, environment history, and history of science. See our workshop for more details about individual contributions. We are now compiling a volume of essays based on the workshop. |
