Papers by Kirsten Lopez
A presentation based on a chapter of my undergraduate thesis.
The use of animal-human metamorphosis in the Lais of Anglo-Norman 12th century writer Marie de Fr... more The use of animal-human metamorphosis in the Lais of Anglo-Norman 12th century writer Marie de France springs from a tradition in oral storytelling in which animals were directly associated with specific human characteristics or behaviors. These animals then served as allegorical tools in popular tales. In the stories Yonec and Bisclavret, Marie de France adapts this symbolism and applies the burgeoning medieval philosophy of humanism. In this way she is able to use commonly known tropes to prove that while humans pride themselves on being masters of the earth, the “human nature” that so many philosophers sought to define was one infinitely connected to the animalistic instincts that all men and women carry within them. No human is ever rid of his or her inner animal, no matter how much the individual or society may try to domesticate it.
An analysis of the textual, linguistic and archaeological details in saga descriptions of Vinland.
Close reading of the White Hind in Marie de France's lais "Guigemar".
Discussion sur l'utilisation du symbolisme par Marie de France en exprimer les désirs et volontés... more Discussion sur l'utilisation du symbolisme par Marie de France en exprimer les désirs et volontés humaines les plus fondamentaux.
Conference Presentations by Kirsten Lopez
An example of 12th century courtly literature, based on folktales ostensibly translated by Marie ... more An example of 12th century courtly literature, based on folktales ostensibly translated by Marie de France from the Breton originals. Bisclavret tells of a werewolf betrayed by his wife. His humanity overpowers his monstrous form and he befriends the king and turns out a hero. Yonec is the tale of a wife held prisoner whose wish for a lover comes in the form of a shape shifting man-hawk. Their doomed romance reveals both of their foibles, showing that man and beast are not always so different.
Talks by Kirsten Lopez
Teaching Documents by Kirsten Lopez
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Papers by Kirsten Lopez
Conference Presentations by Kirsten Lopez
Talks by Kirsten Lopez
Teaching Documents by Kirsten Lopez