The Anglo-Saxon Soul and Body II and metrical charms are seemingly related only inasmuch as they ... more The Anglo-Saxon Soul and Body II and metrical charms are seemingly related only inasmuch as they coexist as 'minor' works within the Old English corpus. If anything, they seem to exemplify opposition: Christian and pagan, death and life, harangue and incantation. This paper, however, will examine how both works 'treat' the body with words – a shared theme that is medicinal but also narrative-based, and as such is resonant with current initiatives in the medical humanities. I first demonstrate how Soul and Body II uses medical language to present the body's surgical dismembering through words. I then show how the charms, in compelling contrast to Soul and Body II, present a process in which the body is healed through words. My conclusion reunites these seemingly opposed works by positing the restorative aspects of Soul and Body II, and by returning to the implications of these observations for modern medicine. postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies (2017).
The Confessio Amantis concludes with a revelatory scene in which Venus holds up a mirror to Amans... more The Confessio Amantis concludes with a revelatory scene in which Venus holds up a mirror to Amans, allowing him to recognize John Gower the poet— a moment that is often read as a mimetic and healing counterpoint to the Confessio’s sickness and self-questioning. My intention in this paper is to very slightly modify certain aspects of this narrative, to consider how the materiality of the mirror can inform its metaphoric deployments in the Confessio. I organize my discussion around two seemingly contrasting moments in the poem in which the self is seen and in different ways recognized through a reflective surface: the “Tale of Narcissus,” and the concluding moment in which Amans looks into the mirror to see, eventually, John Gower. Drawing in particular on the production and dissemination of mirrors in the Middle Ages, as well as basic properties of reflection, I point to certain challenges facing the medieval mirror: the hazy reflective properties of the lead mirror, and the impurities of the precariously made, limitedly accessible glass mirror. I ultimately suggest that, more than a revelation through reflective recognition, the Confessio’s ending would have proven most resonant for its portrayal of seeing through a complicated medium.
We examined gender differences in the association between body mass index (BMI) and psychological... more We examined gender differences in the association between body mass index (BMI) and psychological well-being. Regression analysis involving 3,251 adults indicated that gender moderated the BMI-psychological well-being link. In follow-up analyses, higher BMI predicted lower psychological well-being only among women. When participants were categorized into 5 BMI groups, women reported lower psychological well-being than men in the overweight and obese I groups, but no gender differences were observed in the more seriously obese or normal-weight groups. Also, among women, all 4 groups with higher-than-normal BMI had lower psychological well-being than normal-weight women; for men, no significant differences were found across the 5 groups. These findings are discussed in relation to research on stigma theory and gender-differentiated cultural norms regarding weight.
The Anglo-Saxon Soul and Body II and metrical charms are seemingly related only inasmuch as they ... more The Anglo-Saxon Soul and Body II and metrical charms are seemingly related only inasmuch as they coexist as 'minor' works within the Old English corpus. If anything, they seem to exemplify opposition: Christian and pagan, death and life, harangue and incantation. This paper, however, will examine how both works 'treat' the body with words – a shared theme that is medicinal but also narrative-based, and as such is resonant with current initiatives in the medical humanities. I first demonstrate how Soul and Body II uses medical language to present the body's surgical dismembering through words. I then show how the charms, in compelling contrast to Soul and Body II, present a process in which the body is healed through words. My conclusion reunites these seemingly opposed works by positing the restorative aspects of Soul and Body II, and by returning to the implications of these observations for modern medicine. postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies (2017).
The Confessio Amantis concludes with a revelatory scene in which Venus holds up a mirror to Amans... more The Confessio Amantis concludes with a revelatory scene in which Venus holds up a mirror to Amans, allowing him to recognize John Gower the poet— a moment that is often read as a mimetic and healing counterpoint to the Confessio’s sickness and self-questioning. My intention in this paper is to very slightly modify certain aspects of this narrative, to consider how the materiality of the mirror can inform its metaphoric deployments in the Confessio. I organize my discussion around two seemingly contrasting moments in the poem in which the self is seen and in different ways recognized through a reflective surface: the “Tale of Narcissus,” and the concluding moment in which Amans looks into the mirror to see, eventually, John Gower. Drawing in particular on the production and dissemination of mirrors in the Middle Ages, as well as basic properties of reflection, I point to certain challenges facing the medieval mirror: the hazy reflective properties of the lead mirror, and the impurities of the precariously made, limitedly accessible glass mirror. I ultimately suggest that, more than a revelation through reflective recognition, the Confessio’s ending would have proven most resonant for its portrayal of seeing through a complicated medium.
We examined gender differences in the association between body mass index (BMI) and psychological... more We examined gender differences in the association between body mass index (BMI) and psychological well-being. Regression analysis involving 3,251 adults indicated that gender moderated the BMI-psychological well-being link. In follow-up analyses, higher BMI predicted lower psychological well-being only among women. When participants were categorized into 5 BMI groups, women reported lower psychological well-being than men in the overweight and obese I groups, but no gender differences were observed in the more seriously obese or normal-weight groups. Also, among women, all 4 groups with higher-than-normal BMI had lower psychological well-being than normal-weight women; for men, no significant differences were found across the 5 groups. These findings are discussed in relation to research on stigma theory and gender-differentiated cultural norms regarding weight.
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Papers by Jenny Boyar