Elements and Edges: Inhabitable and Uninhabitable Worlds in Medieval Encyclopaedias
Dr. Luke Sunderland Durham University
Encyclopaedias portray the earth as perfectly round, nestled within concentric circles of the elements. Yet they also present a jagged earth, with borders between inhabitable and uninhabitable worlds creating geographical divisions that combine in the encyclopaedic environment with natural-historical taxonomies and anthropocentric narratives. This talk will argue that encyclopaedias interrelate concepts of elemental, human and animal bodies with landscapes shaped by histories of geological change, empire and epistemological rupture.
| Building: | Modern Languages Building |
|---|---|
| Event Type: | Lecture / Discussion |
| Tags: | department of romance languages, Free, history, Humanities, Lecture |
| Source: | Happening @ Michigan from Romance Languages & Literatures, Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) |
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