Medical and Literary Language in the Late Fourteenth Century. (360G-Wellcome-094380_Z_10_Z)

£13,191

This research has two goals: to demonstrate how literary texts used medical discourse as a rich source of imagery and narrative techniques in the late fourteenth-century and to explore how and why medical writers used literary devices to make sense of illness. I am interested generally in the question of how English literature invented itself by channelling other registers e.g. historical writing and practical discourses. Exploring seemingly generically diverse texts side by side will, I h ope, demonstrate how these kinds of writing acted upon each other as English literature emerged in force. I will also explore how medical writers especially Arderne used literary devices. Why do writers seek to understand illness through story-telling and through metaphor? I recently discovered that Arderne treated Thomas Usk and this has led me to think more about links between doctors and writers (Arderne advises doctors to be like clerks ) and between their texts (Arderne may have us ed the Gawain-poet s illuminator; the countess of Devon bequeathed romances and medical tracts together). Key texts include Arderne s writings, the Livre de seyntz medicine, penitential manuals, and poetry by Chaucer and the Gawain-poet; both genre theory and disability studies are important frameworks for this research.

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Grant Details

Amount Awarded 13191
Applicant Surname Turner
Approval Committee Medical History and Humanities Funding Committee
Award Date 2010-10-19T00:00:00+00:00
Financial Year 2010/11
Grant Programme: Title Personal Support: Inactive Scheme
Internal ID 094380/Z/10/Z
Lead Applicant Dr Marion Turner
Partnership Value 13191
Planned Dates: End Date 2011-07-31T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2011-04-01T00:00:00+00:00
Recipient Org: Country United Kingdom
Region South East