ENGLISH 400: MONSTER THEORY
Jude Juarez-Perez
Research Abstract
"Lazarus, but make it French: Children and the Resurrection of Family in The Lais of Marie de France"
In The Lais of Marie de France there are two lais that stand out: “Milun” and “Le Fresne.” It is not because of what these stories hold that make them significant, but rather what they appear to lack. Both lais lack obvious supernatural elements that pervade the rest of the lais, but only at first glance. What is “marvelous” or magical about these two stories in particular is the children they are centered around, and their long-awaited reunion with their families. The children are the supernatural element themselves, and their reunion with their families after being presumed lost is so marvelous as to be comparable to the resurrection of Lazarus from the grave.
Children, around the time Marie de France was writing her lais in the twelfth century, were to be treasured. By looking at infant mortality rates, child life expectancies, and mortality rates of the mother during childbirth, alongside the overall structure of family and family life in the Middle Ages, it is then possible to assert that the very idea of having a complete family unit is on the level of supernatural miracle itself.
With this in mind, it changes not just the reading of the Lais, but the meaning of “Le Fresne” and “Milun” in particular as well. They become a celebration of family and an assertion of the value of familial bonds, a rejoicing of a happy ending which, in Marie de France’s world, happens only in the most exceptional, or magical, of circumstances.
Capstone Presentation
"Out of the Bag with Your Tongue: 'Puss-in-Boots' as a Feminist Icon"
Angela Carter’s “Puss-In-Boots” is more than just a comedic story about a man and his cat. It is a story in which the conflict and characters can be interpreted as representing the sex wars and the debate over pornography that was one of the markers of the turning point between second wave and third wave feminism. By dissecting the roles the characters play and their actions throughout the story, this presentation will give insight into Angela Carter’s stance on the late 1970s sex wars, and debates over pornography. The story serves as a representation of the idea that women should be free to seize what they desire, be it autonomy, sex, or anything else.