Forschungskolloquium „Body-Concepts and Emotions“, Forschungsschwerpunkt Historische Kulturwissenschaften, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Zeit: 09.12.2011, 15-18 Uhr
Ort: Universität Mainz, Philosophicum/Fakultätssaal
Late medieval English kings operated in an increasingly public political society. Monarchs found it expedient to persuade their people of the rectitude of their policies, and the English public found ways to express their opinions, from petitioning to gossip and rebellion.
Christopher Fletcher (Paris) examines some of the consequences of this state of affairs. In particular: What effect did the public nature of kingship have upon the relationship between ideals of conduct applicable to kings and norms of masculinity which applied to all men? This question is addressed by comparing proclamations of Edward III (1327-77), and reports of treasonous words under Henry VI (1422-61), with earlier attacks on Edward II (1307-27). The first two were judged by ideals of manhood which applied to all men. The latter was criticized for potentially manly pursuits which were nonetheless inappropriate for a king. Still, it would be unwise to impose a developmental narrative on these diverse political circumstances. The variety of interpretations of manhood available made it possible to criticize or praise kings as manly or unmanly according to particular political circumstances. What is certain, however, is that the public nature of kingship made the king’s manhood a powerful political tool throughout this period.
2. Vortrag:
Dr. Anu Korhonen (Helsinki/Mainz): Laughter in the early modern period: A complex reaction
Laughter in the early modern period (as in the middle ages) was seen as a particularly human property, something that distinguished humans from animals. Although a complex phenomenon, it was not necessarily a very elevated human skill. It happened in the body and involved various organs in it. It had its origin in a stimulus that a person received from the outer world with his senses. It was processed in the soul and linked particularly to its middle part, the sensitive soul, and within it, the imagination. It was related to a set of emotions, especially joy and pleasure, but its links with emotions, too, were often complex. In any case, it was good for you: in moderate doses, laughter was beneficial to health. In this paper, I will discuss how laughter was understood in the early modern period: what was laughter all about, and
how and why did people laugh?