Pestilence in Medieval and Early Modern English LiteraturePestilence in Medieval and Early Modern English Literature examines three diseases--leprosy, bubonic plague, and syphilis--to show how doctors, priests, and literary authors from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance interpreted certain illnesses through a moral filter. Lacking knowledge about the transmission of contagious diseases, doctors and priests saw epidemic diseases as a punishment sent by God for human transgression. Accordingly, their job was to properly read sickness in relation to the sin. By examining different readings of specific illnesses, this book shows how the social construction of epidemic diseases formed a kind of narrative wherein man attempts to take the control of the disease out of God's hands by connecting epidemic diseases to the sins of carnality. |
Contents
From Sophrosyne to Sin | 15 |
Leprosy Bubonic Plague and Syphilis | 39 |
Leprosy and Spiritual Sins | 79 |
Plague as Apocalypse in Medieval Literature | 103 |
Learning to Cope with Disease | 127 |
103 | 152 |
Conclusion | 179 |
Notes | 185 |
Other editions - View all
Pestilence in Medieval & Early Modern English Literature Bryon Lee Grigsby No preview available - 2004 |
Pestilence in Medieval and Early Modern English Literature Bryon Lee Grigsby No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Amiloun Amis and Amiloun Amundsen Antonius Apemantus argues Arrizabalaga Asklepios attempt authors believed Belisaunt Black Death body Brody bubonic plague Bullein carnal sins cause century Chaucer Christian Cistercians Civis connect leprosy connection between leprosy Constantine construction Cresseid cure demonstrates Dietary disease Early Modern England English envy epidemic examine Galen Gehazi God's Gottfried Gower Greco-Roman Grmek Hippocrates historians Horrox human humoral idea identifies illness individual infected interpretation Lanfrank Langland lechery leper leprosy and bubonic leprosy and syphilis literary literature Lydgate means medical community medical information medical knowledge medicine and theology medieval doctors medieval medicine melancholy metaphoric Middle Ages Middle English moral associations Moses nature penitentials person pestilence physician Piers Plowman pride priests punishment reader relationship Renaissance rioters Seven Deadly Sins sexual Shakespeare sick social social constructionism society soul spiritual sins Summoner Summoner's syphilis tale Temkin Timon tion transmission usury venereal Volpone words writes þat