Department of English

• Friday, March 17, 2023 - 10:00am to 2:00pm

FBH Faculty Lounge

"Every Living Soul: Literature and Zoology in England, 1100–1400"

This dissertation offers an interdisciplinary perspective on late medieval knowledge of animals, in all its under-acknowledged diversity and sophistication. Reading across scientific and poetic genres, it considers medieval zoology in relation to its textual and experiential sources, its impacts on social hierarchies, and its relevance for ecological activism today. Its case studies include: intersections between gender variance and animality, cetacean science, ecological grief, and the philosophical implications of canine cognition. 

Committee: David Wallace (Chair), Etienne Benson, Rebecca Bushnell, Rita Copeland, Emily Steiner.