Newstead Abbey!

Newstead Abbey

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A group photo of our English BA students in front of the impressive Newstead Abbey. We hope you all had a fantastic time!

Not entirely Masters related, but we do love to share what the rest of the English cohort has been up to! With the semester coming to an end, our third year (BA Hons) English students took to Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of Lord Byron.

Formerly an Augustinian priory, then home to Byron along with many others, the Abbey is now open to the general public, who can visit and explore the historical abbey and it’s beautiful gardens and peacocks.

You can find out more about abbey, or plan a visit yourself on the Newstead Abbey Website.

Thank you to the staff who made this trip possible, and to Renée Ward for providing us with photos of this great day out. We hope you all enjoyed it!

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A photo of the abbey, which was originally opened in 1170.

How to Fund your Masters Programme.

Funding a Masters Programme.

Undertaking postgraduate study can be a rewarding experience that will help you stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs in your future career. However, it is also a large financial undertaking, with various factors to consider. How will you pay your tuition fees, rent and other living expenses? These all need to be considered when applying for an MA, and you will likely be asked about this during your interview. [link to interview post here]

But don’t panic! We’ve composed an introduction to funding your postgraduate studies. Below are a list of ways our current students help support themselves whilst studying.

Student Finance Postgraduate Loan

student-finance-logoStudent loans of £10 280 are currently available for postgraduate study through the Student Loans Company. This is paid back in the same way as the undergraduate loan. However, it is not means tested unlike the undergraduate loans, so if you are eligible you can claim the full amount on offer to you. For most students, this will provide a significant contribution towards study costs and living expenses.

Applications for this loan usually open up during the summer, so follow https://www.gov.uk/student-finance and social media platforms linked at the end of this blog to see when applications are open.

For a more in-depth look at PG student you can read all about them at https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan/.

Part-Time Employment

As well as a Postgraduate loan, many students use part-time employment to fund their studies. This year, we’ve had students taking all kinds of jobs, ranging from website designers to artists, bankers to teachers, and many more to help cover the costs of studying a Masters programme. Whilst this isn’t a necessity for everyone, it can be a helpful way to earn money and also gain valuable work experiences, references and connections for when you finish your degree.

It is worth mentioning that it is important to balance your work commitments with study time and timetabled teaching on your masters. If you’re unsure of contact hours, or your timetabling is not yet available, it is worth getting in touch with staff to find out how this is usually conducted. At Lincoln, teaching on the English masters programmes takes place on Wednesdays, leaving the rest of the week free for work commitments; however, this isn’t always the case for all universities so check with your chosen institution for more information. The recommended number of hours for part-time employment while studying full-time as a PG student is from 12-15 hours per week. Some students might work more, depending on their needs or working habits, but remember that full-time study will require at least 35 hours of your time each week.

Scholarships, Research Councils and Study Grants

Scholarships may be offered by your university or a sponsor; check with your chosen institution for more information on what financial support is available. You can find out more about Lincoln’s scholarships and study grants here.

Research Councils offer funds to those undertaking postgraduate studies; you can find out more about this here https://www.ukri.org/funding/ . However, funding is competitive and usually reserved for doctoral level study, so this should not be relied upon as a means of funding your degree.

Bursaries may also be available for programmes such as teaching training, social work and NHS-related programmes such as nursing. These may be provided by the government, private companies or your institution. It is worth researching to see if additional bursaries or study grants are available for your chosen programme.

 

Many students use public transport, such as buses and trains to commute to university. It is worth seeing what passes and transport cards (such as the 16-25 railcard) you are eligible for as a student.

Many students use public transport, such as buses and trains to commute to university. It is worth seeing what kinds of passes and discounts (such as the 16-25 railcard) you are eligible for as a postgraduate student.

Commuting to University

Alongside budgeting, some students live at home with family and commute during their postgraduate study. This can relieve

some of the living expenses associated with postgraduate study and can be cheaper than renting a property in some university cities. Unlike the undergraduate student loan, commuting and living at home will not affect the amount of funding you receive, you will still be eligible for the full loan of £10 280 should you wish to take it. One of the benefits of living in Lincoln (versus universities in larger cities) is the overall lower cost of living and the ease with which one can walk around the city (so no transit costs if you live in town!).

Budgeting is key!

Once you have secured your funding, it is important to make sure you budget what money you have to cover your expenses throughout the year. Some universities will offer payment plans for your tuitions fees to coincide with student finance payments; however, not all universities will offer this so it is important to make sure you can pay fees when they are expected and still have enough money for rent and other living expenses.

For more information on funding postgraduate see:

Gov.uk’s guide to funding Postgraduate Study and the Masters loan.

For advice on funding and budgeting see:

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Sites such as MoneySavingExpert.com have lots of tips and tricks for how to save money and budget effectively.

Money Saving Expert for information for student funding guides and other tips and tricks to stretch your budget further.

It is also worth speaking to the careers and finance department(s) at your university for more specific funding advice.

 

 

Trip to Lincoln Castle [MA English Studies & Medieval Studies]

 

Our students had time for a quick photo on the Observatory Tower, with Lincoln Cathedral in the background! Left to right: Lisa, Trenton, Jeni, Alex and Sam.

Our students had time for a quick photo on the Observatory Tower, with Lincoln Cathedral in the background! Left to right: Lisa, Trenton, Jeni, Alex and Sam.

Students from the ‘Robin Hood’ module, taught on MA English Studies and MA Medieval Studies, enjoyed a trip to Lincoln Castle to view the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest. Both documents are connected to the Robin Hood legend in various ways, and made a great day out to celebrate the end of the term.

We hope all of our students had a great time on the trip!

Spring Symposium (May 2018)

 

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Yesterday, students from English Studies and 21st Century Literature took part in their final symposium of the academic year. A variety of papers were heard with panels centered around ‘Utopia and Dystopia’, ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘The 19th Century Woman Writer’ taking place. 15 of our students presented over the course of the day at the Wren Library in Lincoln. The library boasts a collection of several medieval texts, and provided a stunning setting for the symposium.

Alex presenting his paper on the links between Robin Hood and the modern day speedrunning community.

Alex presenting his paper on the links between Robin Hood and the modern day speedrunning community.

Staff, visiting professor John Drakakis and fellow students listened to a variety of papers including: ‘Robin Hood in the Present: Medievalism and Community’ by Alex Earle, ‘”Soulless Creatures”: An examination of the human condition in Never Let Me Go‘ by Tabitha Bennett, ‘The Trickster in Disguise: Robin Hood and his Band of Masked Men – Abstract. ‘ by Jeni Medcalf and ‘A comparison of representations of marriage in Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and George Egerton’s “A Cross Line”‘ by Tim Rideout. 

After a hard day’s work, our students enjoyed a social over a class of wine in the cloister of the cathedral. This was followed by a group meal at Ole Ole Tapas on Bailgate and a well-deserved night of celebrations.

Congratulations to all our students who presented, and a special thank you to Rupert Hildyard for coordinating the event, and Lincoln Cathedral for allowing us to host our symposium in the Wren Library.

A lovely photo in the sunshine to celebrate the success of the day.

A lovely photo in the sunshine to celebrate the success of the day.

 

You can see our full album of photos of the days events on our Facebook.

The library is open to the general public, click here for more information. 

We are still accepting applications for the 18-19 academic year, for more information visit: or contact:

Dr. Rupert Hildyard

rhildyard@lincoln.ac.uk

(01522) 886070

Dr. Renée Ward

rward@lincoln.ac.uk

(01522) 835471

Have We Got MAs for You!

Have We Got MAs for You!

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Survived the dissertation? Thinking about the possibility of further study? Check out the MA options offered by the School of English and Journalism:

MA 21st Century Literature: This course allows you to examine fiction, drama and poetry from the UK and Ireland published since 2000. Engaging with current literary creativity and theoretical frameworks, you will consider the relationships of texts to their contexts and the complexity of the relationship between literature and cultural change.

MA English Studies: In this course, you will examine the diversity and variety of our subject, ranging from the medieval period to the contemporary moment. Flexibility exists for students to develop their own areas of interest in a particular period, genre or theme, while simultaneously applying current critical perspectives to their interests.

MA Creative Writing: Our MA in Creative Writing provides you with the opportunity to work closely with practising creative writers at the University and several other writers from outside the University. You will balance creative practice with critical analysis, and have the opportunity to work in all literary genres of writing, including the chance to publish your work.

MA Nineteenth Century Studies: This course is interdisciplinary, where you can extend your studies of texts to address also paintings, photographs, buildings, objects and institutions. All these materials are interpreted with reference to the nineteenth-century cultural context, an era of unprecedented social and intellectual development which has vital legacies today.

Come and chat to Programme Leaders and students about the various MA options on Thursday 3 May 2018, at 2pm, in MB2206. We look forward to seeing you!

MA Trip to Haworth

MA Trip to Haworth (April 2018)

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Students from both English Studies and 21st Century Literature had a lovely weekend at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, East Yorkshire. Home to the famous Brontë sisters, the trip involved a private tour of the parsonage, organised by student Tim Rideout and funded by the English department at the University of Lincoln.

Jeni got involved with the interactive exhibits at the parsonage.

Jeni got involved with the interactive exhibits at the parsonage.

Alongside the exclusive tour, students were able to further explore the parsonage (which is open to the public) in their free time, and also visit the research centre located within the museum. This included a look around nearby church, where Patrick Brontë worked as the curate from 1820. The parsonage rotates its displays annually, with only one quarter of its artifacts on display at any one time. This year, an exhibit ‘Making Thunder Roar’ celebrating Emily’s bicentenary can be seen on the ground floor, alongside the recreated rooms of the parsonage.This includes various artifacts on display such as first editions of the Brontës’ novels, copies of their juvenilia and even Anne’s collection of pebbles!

After the tour, we asked some of our students what they enjoyed the most:

A copy of the Brontë juvenilia on display.

A copy of the Brontë juvenilia on display.

For me, it was all about the juvenilia. Since writing on it at undergraduate I’ve always been amazed by the miniscule nature of the sagas. It was fascinating to be able to see their size up close, and even read some of it with a magnifying glass!’ Rebecca Coddington, English Studies.

The best thing for me was sharing a place I love with the rest of the group.’ Tim Rideout, English Studies.

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The group enjoyed a spot of lunch in the historic village of Haworth.

The trip included a visit to Haworth itself and a refreshing stop at a local café where our students enjoyed some lovely cakes and snacks, before setting off on an exploration of the local book shops and one final look around the parsonage before heading home.

There was even time for a few more group photos after a VIP tour of the parsonage.

There was even time for a few more group photos after a VIP tour of the parsonage.

We cannot thank Tim, our voluntary driver Michelle, and the English department enough for making this trip possible, and we look forward to running more in the future!

You can find out more about visiting the parsonage here.

Student Reviews: Martin Amis’ The Zone of Interest

Book Review: The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis

Katie Mulhern: 21st Century Literature

Readers of Martin Amis’s novel The Zone of Interest are provoked to question their understandings of morality, perspective and the relationship society has with history. A history novel that Amis locates at the centre of Auschwitz, The Zone of Interest is set in Kat Zet, and is told through the eyes of three intradiegetic narrators, Paul Doll, Angelus Thomsen and Szmul. Amis signals his intentions in writing this novel in the epilogue, he states that although “we know a great deal about the how […] but we seem to know almost nothing about the why.” (Martin Amis, ‘Acknowledgements and Epilogue: ‘That Which Happened’, The Zone of Interest, 2014).  It seems, in the twenty-first century, with all its political and social instability there is a renewed urgency to explore the ideological causes and repercussions of the Holocaust in contemporary society. However, because of the tragic nature of the Holocaust There is a legitimate skepticism surrounding Amis’s work of fiction. The Holocaust has become an industry, a commodity that has the ability to sell books, films and holidays in the contemporary world. Tim Cole describes in his book Selling the Holocaust the tourism industry surrounding Auschwitz, suggesting that ‘Auschwitz’ is to the ‘Holocaust’ what ‘Graceland’ is to ‘Elvis’. A cynic might suggest that Amis’s literary visit to Auschwitz capitalises on the existing interest. Readers of Holocaust fiction, then, mirror the tourists visiting Auschwitz. They become tourists of “guilt and righteousness: guilt at an almost pornographic sense of expectancy of the voyeurism ahead. And yet guilt tempered by a sense of righteousness at choosing to come to this place”.

The Zone of Interest is Amis' 14th novel, published in 2014.

The Zone of Interest is Amis’ 14th novel, published in 2014.

However, I believe that the power of Amis’s novel emerged from his satire of the Nazis. For example, at the forefront of Amis’s narrative is satire predicated on the un-exceptionalism of the Nazis. Paul Doll is presented as a bumbling and erratic character, who struggles to keep control of the regime at Kat Zet.  Amis demonstrates how there is nothing exceptional about his character, by emphasising his inability to lead effectively: “There was another cock-up – ferrying the bodies away before their mates got back from work. We covered the carts but we couldn’t do anything about the blood of course. Wasn’t time. The men saw. It was tense. […] Mobius thinks we may have to do another batch. Repeat the whole palaver” (Martin Amis, The Zone of Interest, 2014 p.122). Amis satirises the Nazis by juxtaposing the banality of bureaucracy with mass murder. This stark contrast is a clear moral judgement. The description mimics the comedic failings of a slap-stick comedy duo because the language Amis employs, such as “cock-up” and “palaver” is shockingly casual and banal in recounting the systematic killing of prisoners. This representation also demonstrates how there is nothing impressive about Doll. This portrayal not only reflects the reality of Höss, the Commandment of Auschwitz from 1940 onwards, as a historical figure, but emphasises the connections between the past and present. Doll’s pathetic and bumbling behaviour doesn’t reinforce the readers’ expectation of the ‘monster’ that ran Auschwitz. Amis’s depiction denies the reader the comfort of vilifying a particular individual. He refuses any form of catharsis by identifying a single villain that can be expelled from humanity. Instead, Amis gestures towards a form of masculinity and behaviour that has, and continues to exist. Doll represents an average middle-aged white man who is capable of such evil. Amis’s portrayal of Doll is unexceptional because the Nazi’s were unexceptional, and that is what makes them relevant and dangerous in the twenty-first century. Thus, Amis’s satire is effective because it “is not only an attack; it is an attack upon discernible, historically authentic particulars” (Frederic V. Bogel, The Difference Satire Makes, 2001). The targets of Amis’s mocking are not fictional, they are recognisable and “plainly existent in the world of reality” (Bogel). In turn, the reader is able to recognise that the characteristics of Doll and the Nazis in the Third Reich are not confined to Auschwitz. The satire, therefore, becomes a moral judgement as well as a cautionary tool for the reader to stay vigilant. Amis’s satire “ultimately makes a case for universality” (Ruth Franklin, A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction, 2011). His novel bridges the gap between the present and the past in order to emphasise “the fundamental sameness of the human condition”(Franklin).Amis’s satire makes connections to the past, showing that ultimately humanity is always capable of such atrocities, and to stop it from happening we need to understand why, and therefore the Nazi perspective is unavoidable. By attributing the holocaust to inherent aspects within the human condition, Amis disturbs the reader into this realisation, forcing them to recognise that in order to prevent a repetition of the Holocaust, a more complex understanding of the perpetrators is needed. Moral outrage is easy, but having an understanding of humanity’s capacity for genocide is essential.

Amis also features Szmul, thus grounding his narrative with an evocation of the Jewish voice. Szmul’s narrative juxtaposes Doll’s chapters, undermining his authority and perspective by directly contradicting his experience. His articulation of life in the Kat Zet is heart breaking. Szmul also figures in the novel as an explanation for Amis’s untraditional narrative perspective. For instance, although some critics are unconvinced by Amis’s use of humour, it can be argued this unconventional approach to such a horrific atrocity is consistent with the widely held sentiment that the Holocaust “outstrips imagination” (Richard L. Rubenstein and John K. Roth, Approaches to Auschwitz: The Legacy of the Holocaust, 1987). Writers have consistently struggled to “be creative when […] reality has already given birth to persons, places, and events that defy imagining” (Rubenstein, Roth,). However, it is also widely acknowledged that although “it is impossible to write adequately about the holocaust; [the] task must be attempted” (Rubenstein, Roth). The limitations of language are most evident when trying to portray the horror of the Holocaust. This paradox is described by Szmul when he tries to articulate his experience, “I am choking. I am drowning. This pencil and these scraps of paper aren’t enough. I need colours, sounds – oils and orchestras. I need something more than words” (Amis, p.238). His inability to communicate his suffering echoes Theodor Adorno when he famously stated, “to write a poem after Auschwitz is barbaric, and that corrodes also the knowledge which expresses why it has become impossible to write poetry today” (Theodor Adorno, Prisms, trans. by Samuel and Shierry,1981). Moreover, Amis reinforces his difficulty in articulating and understanding the Holocaust conventionally, “The facts, set down in a historiography of ten thousand volumes, are not in the slightest doubt; but they remain in some sense unbelievable, or beyond belief, and cannot quite be assimilated. Very cautiously I submit that part of the exceptionalism of the Third Reich lies in its unyieldingness, the electric severity with which it repels our contact and our grip” (Amis, ‘Acknowledgements and Epilogue, p.309). The power of Amis’s novel comes through, therefore, in his unconventional perspective. Amis does not explicitly outline his moral judgement of the Nazi’s and their actions because they are fundamentally present throughout the text; they are enclosed in the form, the innovation, the humour and the fleeting glimpses of horror. When asked by Francesca Riviere for The Paris Review if “the writer’s voice is in his style?” he responded “It’s all he’s got. […] It’s a tone, it’s a way of looking at things. It’s a rhythm”. Thus, his satire of the Third Reich is potent with what is negated by Amis, this “allows us to see the outline of that which is beyond words. The silence, as so often, is heard in the gaps between the laughter, in the realization that we’ve been laughing at all” (Alex Clark, ‘The Zone of Interest Review – Martin Amis Returns with Holocaust Comedy’, The Guardian, (2014). Amis’s innovation attempts to transcend the fracture between language and understanding whilst still grounding the narrative within the reader’s knowledge of the events.

Overall, I believe the power of Amis’s novel can be found through his attributing the Holocaust to certain aspects of the human condition. Though there are flaws to his novel, and issues with consistency of style I suggest that The Zone of Interest resists easy moral outrage, instead provoking the reader to see the visible connections between the past and present. Despite Amis’s sometimes inconsistent style, he ultimately suggests that a more complex understanding of history, and the individuals that perpetrate atrocities, is necessary in order to prevent similar horrific acts happening again

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Katie is currently studying MA 21st Century Literature. Have you also read this novel? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments or on our social media platforms.

The Zone of Interest from most major retailers.

Student Reviews: Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing

Book Review: A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
Rebecca Coddington: English Studies.

Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing is an original novel which plays with the conventions of language, pushing it to its limits. It tells the story of a nameless girl, using a stream of consciousness narrative to tell describe the traumatic events of her life. Taking inspiration from James Joyce’s Ulysses, the novel contains broken, fragmented sentences which may initially disorientate the reader, yet still feel natural to us. As Ron Charles of The Washington Post notes: ‘it’s a staggering emotional ordeal that draws us into the world of a woman forced to endure a knife drawer of horrors that would slice up anyone’s sanity.’ I would definitely agree that this is an accurate judgement of the novel, with its twists and turns keeping the reader hooked to its unusually-worded pages.

A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing is Eimear McBride's debut novel.

A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing is Eimear McBride’s debut novel.

Although I don’t usually steer towards modernist fiction, I found A Girl to be a dramatic and invigorating read. The abnormal language of the novel immerses the reader in the traumatic life of a half-formed girl, struggling through childhood and early adulthood and fraught with themes of sexuality, religion and Irish culture. Despite steering away from a traditional prosaic structure, McBride’s novel remains universal in its ambiguous nature through its unnamed characters and themes of despair and loss which we can all relate to on some level. It is this handling of grief within the novel which has made it my favourite so far from the English Now 2 module, where we have recently studied fiction and form.

Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing is covered in the English Now 2: Fiction and Form module.

Have you read this novel? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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You can read Ron Charles Review Here.
A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing is available from most major retailers.

Student Reviews: Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Book Review: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë.

Jamie Watts: English Studies

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is undoubtedly a masterpiece. I think it far outshines Wuthering Heights and is equal to Vilette and Jane Eyre in its accomplishments. In fact I often wonder if Charlotte Bronte’s decision to suppress the publication of this book after Anne died was motivated more from a place of jealousy than any moral concerns about propriety.

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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was Anne Brontë’s second novel, first published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell.

 

Anne Bronte writes frankly and openly about conditions affecting (admittedly middle class) women in Victorian England with no legal rights to property or, should their marriage fail, their child. The main character, Helen Graham, marries for ‘love’ rather than a suitor her de facto parents find suitable, which is also a change from earlier Regency writing such as Jane Austen. However, Arthur Huntingdon is a swine – cheating, gambling, drinking, he is an utterly loathsome man. Helen begs him to allow her to leave when he takes up with Lady Lowborough but Huntingdon refuses, this motivates Helen to flee with her child to help his moral upbringing.

Having read this book six years ago it has lost none of its lustre, the story is observed by Gilbert Markham who is besotted with Helen. He first believes village gossip that she is sleeping with Mr Lawrence but it later transpires that he is Helen’s brother and he is helping her. She makes a living from her art so Bronte is concerned with the female as artist. Ultimately Helen must do what is good and she returns to nurse Huntingdon when he is ill. Suddenly and unexpectedly (same thing happens in Jane Eyre and defies logic) Helen inherits vast wealth, Arthur Huntingdon dies and she is able to marry Markham. For a novel of 600 pages most of this happens in about the last five, so the ending feels rushed but I think I’m correct in thinking Anne was taken ill and does not long after this novel came out. For a Victorian novel it is so accessible and easy to read and I think it’s such a shame Anne isn’t regarded as well as Emily or Charlotte.

Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is covered on the optional module ‘The Ninteenth-Century Woman Writer’.

Jamie is currently studying an MA in English Studies. Have you also read this novel? Let us know what you thought in the comments or on our social media platforms.

 

Christian Maps, Jewish Monsters with Asa Simon Mittman.

Attention All!

We are delighted to announce that the university will be hosting Professor Asa Simon Mittman for a talk titled ‘Christian Maps, Jewish Monsters’ on 20 March. Please see below for the full details of this event.

Date: Tuesday 20 March 2018

Time: Reception 6:00pm, Public Lecture 6:30pm

Location: Reception – Stephen Langton Building Foyer, Lecture – Stephen Langton Lecture Theatre

Lecture Title: Christian Maps, Jewish Monsters

Speaker: Asa Simon Mittman, Professor and Chair, Art & Art History, California State University, Chico

Lecture Abstract and Speaker Bio:

In ‘Christian Maps, Jewish Monsters’, Mittman explores a curious, fraught image of idol-worship on the Hereford World Map, produced in England c. 1300. This massive, encyclopaedic sheet has been seen as a terrestrial map, a universal map, a biblical compendium, a history, and on. In the south-east quadrant of the world, in Arabia, between the two arms of the Red Sea, we find the Jews, a mass of four men in vaguely monastic robes, kneeling in prayer before an altar on which squats Mahun, an ugly, twisting calf that is, despite the prevalent use of gold throughout the map, decidedly not golden. The calf-idol is raising its hind leg to defecate on the altar. The image of the defecating polytheistic-Jewish-Islamic Calf-Muhammed is animate, but ought not be so; it is a man-made thing, but it acts. The image could function as it does by being contained within the geohistorical framework of medieval cartography, a construct that allows for the smooth imbrications of times (contemporary and past) and places (there and here). By looking at this figure, and then zooming out to consider the massive map, as a whole, Mittman disentangles this complex, aggregate image, and its implications for our understanding of medieval England. In doing so, he provides a point of reflection on our own present context, and its contemporary depictions of non-Christians.

Asa Simon Mittman is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Art & Art History at California State University, Chico, where he teaches modules on ancient and medieval art, monsters, and film. Mittman’s collaborative work with Susan Kim on the Beowulf Manscript, Inconceivable Beasts: The Wonders of the East in the Beowulf Manuscript (AMCRS, 2013), won a Millard Meiss Publication Grant from the College Art Association and an ISAS (International Society of Anglo-Saxonists) Best Book Prize, and his book Maps and Monsters in Medieval England(Routledge, 2006) is a foundational Monster Studies text. Other collaborative works include, with Peter Dendle, a Research Companion to Monsters and the Monstrous (Ashgate/Routledge, 2012), and, with Marcus Hensel, the forthcoming with the Medieval Institute Press/Arc-Humanities Press, Classic Readings on Monster Theory: Demonstrare (Volume 1) and Primary Sources on Monsters: Demonstrare (Volume 2). Mittman has also contributed to the growth of Monster Studies through the creation of academic communities such as the Material Collective and MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: the Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory and Practical Application). His current projects include research on the Franks Casket, on representations of Jews on medieval world maps, and, with Sherry C. M. Lindquist, curation of the exhibit Terrors, Aliens, and Wonders: Medieval Monsters at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

 

To book onto this event, please see our Eventbrite Page.