Word of the Cross and the Cross of Words: Wisdom, Chiastic Image and the Writing Woman in Medieval France
Dr. Ellen Thorington is an Associate Professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. Her research interests are in medieval poetics, short narrative and the female voice in the work of medieval French poets including Marie de France, Christine de Pizan and Chrétien de Troyes. This talk comes out of her current book project: Proverbs and Old Wives’ Fables: Women as Figures of Wisdom in Old and Middle French Literature.
When: Monday, November 16, 2020 @ 3:30 pm
Zoom: https://bsu.zoom.us/j/93311900319?pwd=cFI2dHFqbVBudlhST1RjMW9FUHdPUT09
Who: Dr. Ellen Thorington
Abstract: In medieval Europe, chiasmus, or inverted parallelism finds its way into art, literature, music and beyond. It appears as crossings of words, e.g., I love you, you love me, as crossings of themes, sounds and artistic or architectural elements. Chiasmus is at once mnemonic memory aid, intellectual puzzle, and sacred mark. As the sign of the Cross and Christ, chiasmus is firmly anchored within medieval Christian sacred beliefs. I am particularly interested in the association of chiasmus with the Virgin Mary in artistic representations of the Annunciation and Visitation from the early to the high Middle Ages. The intertwining of Marian imagery and chiasmus is of particular importance to female writers of medieval France, notably Marie de France and Christine de Pizan. In using chiasmus in their work, they participate in a devotional act, imitating Mary as a way to follow Christ. Their act of faith marks their work quite literally with the sign of the Cross, thereby authorizing it as Holy Wisdom.