Tears, Sighs and Laughter : Expressions of Emotions in the Middle Ages

In the 1990s a new interest for research on emotions and affectivity in the humanities and the social sciences began to develop. This movement, later referred to as the affective turn, has been a most productive and vigorous field of research in the past decades as it opens up for new interpretations of historical source materials and enables studies of the relationship between states of mind and materiality. In addition, it prompts questions of, for example, gender, power and religiosity, thus being conducive to a fuller understanding of historical events, places and persons. This anthology is the result of a Marcus Wallenberg symposium held at The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, focused on interpretations of emotions as expressed in medieval art and literature. The contributing scholars represent a wide variety of disciplines as can be seen in the range of topics and materials in the articles. Emotional expressions within the religious as well as the secular spheres are analyzed, drawing on hagiographical and biblical texts, monastic writings and sermons, early modern novels and comic tales, crusader stories, historical chronicles and even runes. The Authors: Roger Andersson, Alexander Andre, Martha Bayless, Kim Bergqvist, Tomas Ekenberg, Olle Ferm, Carin Franzn, Claes Gejrot, Wojtek Jezierski, Magnus Kllstrm, Sofia Lodn, Piroska Nagy, Corinne Pneau, Claire L. Sahlin, Jean-Claude Schmitt, Wim Verbaal, Kurt Villads Jensen, Elisabeth Wghll Nivre & Mia kestam. Per Förnegård, Erika Kihlman, Mia Åkestam & Gunnel Engwall: Introduction 7 Piroska Nagy: The Power of Medieval Emotions and Change: From Theory to Some Unexpected Uses of Spiritual Texts 13 Jean-Claude Schmitt: Demons and the Emotions 41 Corinne Péneau: The Law and the King’s Heart: Emotions as Political Statements in the Chronicle of Duke Erik 64 Kim Bergqvist: Tears of Weakness, Tears of Love: Kings as Fathers and Sons in Medieval Spanish Prose 77 Kurt Villads Jensen: Crying Crusaders 98 Wojtek Jezierski: Fears, Sights and Slaughter: Expressions of Fright and Disgust in the Baltic Missionary Historiography (11th–13th centuries) 109 Elisabeth Wåghäll Nivre: A Dangerous Place to Be: Fearing City Life in Georg Wickram’s Von guten und bösen Nachbaurn (1556) 138 Martha Bayless: Laughter in a Deadly Context: Le Sacristain, Maldon, Troilus, Merlin 153 Olle Ferm: Laughter and the Medieval Church 166 Alexander Andrée: Tempus flendi et tempus ridendi: Manifestations of Emotion in Medieval Biblical Commentary 182 Wim Verbaal: Bernard’s Smile and the Conversion of Laughter 193 Mia Åkestam: “I Felt Like Jumping for Joy” – Smile and Laughter in Medieval Imagery 215 Claire L. Sahlin: Tears and Weeping in the Spirituality of St. Birgitta of Sweden 239 Claes Gejrot: True Emotion or Convention? Sorrow and Joy in the Vadstena Memorial Book 255 Roger Andersson: Emotional Imagery in Anticlerical Preaching 265 Magnus Källström: Sighs and Sorrows – But No Laughter? Expressions of Emotions in Runic Inscriptions 277 Tomas Ekenberg: The Longing for Happiness: Virtue or Vice? 289 Carin Franzén: Joi d’amor as Discursive Practice 305 Sofia Lodén: The Weeping Lady in the Arthurian Romance 315 The Authors 327