One topic I didn't have time to discuss in my presentation was the relationship between ugliness and beauty. In all the texts we have read so far, the narrators give us plenty of details regarding the hideous features of the monsters/others. Indeed, the narrator of "Dame Ragnelle" leaves little to imagination when describing the loathly lady.
However these same narrators are almost silent when it comes to beauty. Other than using vague sup relatives like "the most beautiful woman ever", the narrators never give us a sense of what they look like. What color of hair does Dame Ragnelle have post transformation? What facial features does the fairy queen in Lanval have? What does the narrators lack of description mean? I would propose that the reason has to do with the nature of beauty. It has been said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Beauty is relative because there is no universal standard of what beauty is or is not. Indeed, movies stars, models, and the like possess a marketable beauty because many other people consider them beautiful. But even celebrities are not considered beautiful by everyone. Everyone has his/her own definition of beauty, so no person can be universally acclaimed as "the most beautiful".
By contrast, ugliness/monstrous is easier to pinpoint. The narrators can expound on the grotesque details of the ugliness/monstrous because these details are more universally identifiable. It is doubtful that anyone in any time or culture would consider a woman with boar's tusks to be attractive! Beauty then is subjective, whereas ugliness/monstrous is objective (at least more so than beauty). While we can debate who is the most beautiful man or woman on earth, we will all probably agree that Grendel, his mother, the Carl, and the loathly Dame Ragnelle are not.
I think you raise a really good point, Kurt, but I have to disagree with you. I think that standards of beauty during the middle ages were indeed considered by many to be universal - think of all the heroines we have encountered in our texts, even those who come from distant lands, who have been fair-skinned, fair-haired, etc. - so much so that the poet probably didn't feel the need to expound on Dame Ragnelle's sudden beauty because it would have been obvious to the listener.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the description of ugliness - given monstrosity's tendency towards shock and/or awe, the poet most likely relished descriptions of her ugliness to meet the public's need for marvel which can't be done to the same effect if he were merely describing "universal" norms of beauty.
I would agree with Aia's comment that monstrosity's tendency towards shock/awe and thus often translates into vivid description in these works. Just to add on to this idea, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the first challenge scene includes an enormous amount of description of the Green Knight--down to his gold spurs and silk bands embellishing his heels. These details work to point out that the Green Knight is different, perhaps special, perhaps monstrous, but certainly other.
ReplyDeleteConversely Gawain and Arthur receive very little attention of this sort, perhaps because it is assumed we know their type.