ME3431 Senses and Feelings in the Later Middle Ages

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Module description

This is a module on the history of emotions that will cover the period 1100-1500. From the eleventh century, coinciding with the arrival of Greek and Arabic works on natural science, medicine and philosophy, we witness the emergence of the 'medieval science of emotions' based on naturalism. This implied that emotions were considered less in a religious context (good feelings were seen as virtues, negative ones as vices) and more as a result of external stimuli on the senses, body and soul. Due to this wholistic approach, manifestations or performances of emotions were an integral part of the message; they conveyed meaning in the same way words and gestures did. Students will explore how meaning was articulated in specific medieval contexts. We will not study emotions in a vacuum. Instead, we will analyse specific contexts (e.g. funerals, royal court, crime, courtship) to see what the prevalent and the secondary emotions were, how they interacted with one another, and their meaning.