Material Studies and Medieval Narrative
The Case of Glass
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21400167 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eva Von Contzen (0000-0002-0871-4978, University of Freiburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 15-34 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Style (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0039-4238 • E-ISSN: 2374-6629 |
| Publisher | The Pennsylvania State University Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5325/style.59.1.0015 |
| OpenAlex | W4410643973 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
How is glass—as a material and in the form of glass-made objects—narrativized in medieval texts? In line with this special issue breaking new ground by opening up narrative theory to the material turn, my contribution follows a twofold approach: this article provides a medievalist’s perspective on object-oriented narratology. What can we learn from premodern contexts of narration and the function of objects along the lines of the suggestion of distinguishing among a mimetic, thematic, strategic, and structural function of objects in narratives? Combining Marie-Laure Ryan and Tang Weisheng’s approach with medievalists’ insights on matter and material and the idea of the “virtue” of objects, this article explores to what extent glass is functionalized as a powerful metaphor and motif across several Middle English texts, including Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Canterbury Tales, and the anonymous romance Sir Orfeo
Art · Literature · Narrative · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Medieval Architecture and Archaeology · Philosophy
Illuminating the sunbeam through glass motif
Introduction
Objects, Material Culture and the History of Emotions in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
Shards in hand
The postmedieval project
Medieval Things
Medieval Materialism
Backgrounds of the Title Speculum in Mediaeval Literature
Artifice and Artistry in Sir Orfeo
Between Nature and Artifice
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |