Maps and Monsters in Medieval England

This study centers on issues of marginality and monstrosity in medieval England. In the middle ages, geography was viewed as divinely ordered, so Britain's location at the periphery of the inhabitable world caused anxiety among its inhabitants. Far from the world's holy center, the geographic margins were considered monstrous. Medieval geography, for centuries scorned as crude, is now the subject of several careful studies. Monsters have likewise been the subject of recent attention in the growing field of "monster studies," though few works situate these creatures firmly in their specific historical contexts. This book sits at the crossroads of these two discourses (geography and monstrosity), treated separately in the established scholarship but inseparable in the minds of medieval authors and artists.

Introduction: Medieval English Manuscripts, Maps and Monsters: A User's Guide Part One: Mapping the Outer Edges of the World Chapter 1: Mythical Origins Chapter 2: Mapping Identity Chapter 3: The Monsters on the Edge Part Two: The Marvels of the East over Three Centuries and a Millennium Chapter 4: The Reality and Persistence of Monsters Chapter 5: Containment and Consumption Chapter 6: Monstrous Sin and Salvation Part Three: Lexical Spaces as Battlegrounds Chapter 7: Monstrous Nature Chapter 8: The Monster Within Chapter 9: Saints in the Margins Conclusion: Dwelling in the Monster