Historians cannot ignore animals. Within our own lives they are ever-present, whether as food, companions, vermin, on TV or as part of the background to our lives. Even a skim though the sources shows this to be true of all human societies in the recent and more distant past.
But there is more to animals than meat, hides, milk, eggs, wool and dung. How people interacted with animals and how they regarded those animals shaped their cultures and may reflect their ideas and preconceptions back to us. This is the central premise of this module, which will enable you to appreciate the ways in which humans perceived and interacted with animals and animal symbolism over a wide Historical period, and you will learn to interpret the fantastic beasts depicted in medieval art and literature.
The course concentrates on the 11th to the early 17th century, considering changes over time, but you will also be encouraged to reflect on the ways in which humans conceptualise, and interact with, animals today. The module therefore contributes to the History department’s core strengths, stressing the importance of cultural, intellectual and ‘scientific’ history in exploring past societies.
The learning strategy will comprise lectures and seminars, in which
students will work in small groups. Thematic lectures will explore the various
roles of animals, normally including animals as diplomatic gifts; domestication
and pet keeping; animals and warfare; exotic animals and mythological beasts;
hunting and lordship; animals and Christianity; chivalric animals (in heraldry
and romances), and animals and national identity. Key weekly questions and
readings will appear on Moodle so that students can prepare for the summative
essay and the seminars, in which primary sources will be analysed, typically
including bestiaries, hunting manuals, romances, maps and travel literature.