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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

I wanted to post some information about a session I’m organizing for the
International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan (May
12-15, 2016).   Please consider submitting an abstract for this panel.



Session Title: What Devils Say



Name of Organization: Texas Medieval Association (TEMA): International
Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan: May 12-15, 2016.



Devils are everywhere in medieval literature, disturbing, challenging, and
violating conventional spatio-temporal constraints as they move freely
between worlds in order to torment the holy, spread disease, and tempt good
Christians by making sin seem sweet. They appear as enchanters, tempters,
playful tricksters, masked tormentors, terrifying beasts, mankind’s
lawyerly accusers, and on occasion, as sympathetic figures who happened to
be on the losing side of a cosmic war. Although much has been written about
how devils are staged, their appearance, and their interaction with those
they torment, very little has been written about what devils actually say.
How do devils represent themselves and their spaces of punishment? When,
how, and to whom do they speak? How does their rhetoric reflect social,
cultural, and religious beliefs and practices in the Middle Ages? What do
rhetorical gaps or silences signify? This panel focuses on what devils have
to say not only about those they torment, but also about other devils,
Satan, their hellish domain, and ultimately, about themselves. Papers that
explore the rhetoric of devils and diabolical figures are welcome.



Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words and a completed
Participant Information Form to Kathy Torabi (Texas A&M University) at
[log in to unmask] Proposals should arrive by September 15, 2016. The
Participant Information Form can be can be downloaded at:
http://wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html.

-- 
K Torabi
PhD Candidate
English Department, LAAH 521
Texas A&M University

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