Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medieval Studies Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Seton Hall University

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Medieval Studies

“The Hond Hire Helde”: Solidarity, Mirroring, And Foreshadowing Between Helen, Cassandra, And Criseyde In Chaucer’S Troilus And Criseyde, Mallory K. Warner May 2026

“The Hond Hire Helde”: Solidarity, Mirroring, And Foreshadowing Between Helen, Cassandra, And Criseyde In Chaucer’S Troilus And Criseyde, Mallory K. Warner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Geoffry Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde has divided readers and critics alike when addressing the main female protagonist: Criseyde. The poem follows Criseyde and her love interest Troilus, during the final days of the Trojan War, as the two are thrust together into a tragic affair then ripped apart by outside forces and the consequences of their own choices. By the end of the narrative, Criseyde’s autonomy is stripped from her as she is traded in a hostage exchange to the Greek army. In her last present moment in the poem, Criseyde comes to the realization that remaining true to Troilus …


“The Atmosphere That Supports Life On Earth”: An Ecocritical Approach To Tolkien’S Arda, Elizabeth Anne Turello May 2025

“The Atmosphere That Supports Life On Earth”: An Ecocritical Approach To Tolkien’S Arda, Elizabeth Anne Turello

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Ecocriticism speaks to the relationship between the environment and literature, a progressively vital topic of discussion. What is often overlooked, however, is the necessity of the theory’s applicability to stories of speculative fiction; that is, ones existing outside the realm of the real world or, as is the case with the father of modern-day fantasy J.R.R. Tolkien, a mythology set in the ancient days of our world (“Arda”). At first, it may seem contradictory to learn about our surroundings through fictionalized ones seemingly irrelevant to Earth’s own; this apparent contradiction is not valid, though, as the relationship between humans and …


Mythos And Meaning: Medieval Appropriations Of Mythological Types In The Consolation Of Philosophy And Later Western Literatures, Francis J. Hunter May 2024

Mythos And Meaning: Medieval Appropriations Of Mythological Types In The Consolation Of Philosophy And Later Western Literatures, Francis J. Hunter

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Often referred to as the last Roman and first medieval, Boethius, author of The Consolation of Philosophy, has been widely received as an unoriginal philosopher who sought to preserve Platonic thought as the Western Roman Empire fell. However, this essay features an investigation into the literary originality of Boethius who initiates a line of Christian and Platonic literatures to follow in the medieval European tradition. Boethius demonstrates himself to be a poet who makes great use of philosophy rather than as a philosopher writing poetry. Boethius’ poetic influence is felt most strongly in major aspects of Dante’s Divine Comedy and …


Queer Not: Medieval Romance's Toll On Queerness, Kyle Gaydo May 2023

Queer Not: Medieval Romance's Toll On Queerness, Kyle Gaydo

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

How does a contemporary audience handle medieval queerness? What, exactly, constitutes medieval queerness, and how does the medieval literary genre of romance impact it? This thesis attempts to grapple with these questions, and many more, utilizing the 13th-century Old French romance Le Roman de Silence by Heldris de Cornuälle. Medieval romances are particularly fruitful for this analysis because, on one hand, the genre consistently re/turns to cisheteronormativity, and, on the other, because scholarship generally has not applied queer theory to the study of romance. Silence follows Silence, a young Englishwoman who is raised as a boy to protect her family’s …


“Donning The Skins”: The Problem Of Shapeshifting In The Saga Of The Volsungs, David Mudrak Oct 2019

“Donning The Skins”: The Problem Of Shapeshifting In The Saga Of The Volsungs, David Mudrak

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

“Fafnir became so ill-natured that he set out for the wilds and allowed no one to enjoy the treasure but himself. He has since become the most evil serpent and lies now upon his hoard” (Byock 59). Regin, recounting the tale of his brother’s transformation to Sigurd, describes an act of shapeshifting, a magical transformation of one’s body. While many scholars of Icelandic sagas focus their attention on the family sagas because of the clear message they provide for the Icelandic society, the magical elements of the mythical sagas also offer insight into the cultural workings of that people. In …


Lust And Lineage: The Complex Politics Of Chaucer’S The Clerk’S Tale, William Arguelles May 2017

Lust And Lineage: The Complex Politics Of Chaucer’S The Clerk’S Tale, William Arguelles

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Chaucer’s The Clerk’s Tale is one of the more perplexing stories in The Canterbury Tales, filled with paradox and resulting in a cacophony of fiery criticism. The difficulties posed by Griselda’s unwavering submission, the opaque ambitions behind Walter’s actions, the unclear moralistic ending and contradictory epilogue form the very paradoxes that force the reader to investigate their own reading of Griselda’s suffering. By examining one facet in particular, the political allegory underpinning the tale, The Clerk’s Tale’s contradictions immediately and immovably appear, creating a confounding yet arresting narrative about the interrelation between ruler and subject, husband and wife, king …


Shut Up Or Drown: Silence And Containment Of The Garrulous Woman In Medieval And Shakespearean Drama, Melissa Margaret Filosa May 2000

Shut Up Or Drown: Silence And Containment Of The Garrulous Woman In Medieval And Shakespearean Drama, Melissa Margaret Filosa

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.