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A monster lurks at the heart of medieval identity, and this book seeks him out. Reading a set of medieval texts in which giants and dismemberment figure prominently, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen brings a critical psychoanalytic perspective to bear on the question of identity formation-particularly masculine identity-in narrative representation. This is a compelling inquiry into the phenomenon of giants and giant-slaying in various texts from the Anglo-Saxon period to late Middle English, including show more Beowulf, several works by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I've already spent a significant amount of time with this book back in 2004 when I was working on my MA thesis, but I've started re-reading it for my Orals list, and I have to say it rewards a deeper, second reading.
I spent 3.5 hours last night reading and taking notes ON THE FIRST CHAPTER. It's not often that I get lost in a theoretical discussion when it comes to medieval lit. but this was one of those times. It doesn't change my mind on Zizek all that much, but it is an interesting psychoanalytic reading of OE poetry at large.
I spent 3.5 hours last night reading and taking notes ON THE FIRST CHAPTER. It's not often that I get lost in a theoretical discussion when it comes to medieval lit. but this was one of those times. It doesn't change my mind on Zizek all that much, but it is an interesting psychoanalytic reading of OE poetry at large.
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Books in the Bibliography of Humans: A Monstrous History by Surekha Davies
346 works; 1 member
Author Information
15+ Works 420 Members
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen is professor of English and director of the Medieval and Early Modern Studies Institute at George Washington University. He is the author of Medieval Identity Machines and Of Giants: Sex, Monsters, and the Middle Ages, and the editor of Monster Theory: Reading Culture, Prismatic Ecology: Ecotheory beyond Green (all from the show more University of Minnesota Press). show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Of Giants: Sex, Monsters, and the Middle Ages
Classifications
- Genres
- Literature Studies and Criticism, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 820.9 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English and Old English (Anglo-Saxon) literatures History, description, critical appraisal of works in more than one form
- LCC
- PR275 .G47 .C64 — Language and Literature English English Literature By period Medieval. Middle English (1066-1500)
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 55
- Popularity
- 557,074
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.00)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
