Hybridity, Identity, and Monstrosity in Medieval Britain On Difficult Middles [Hardcover]

This study examines the monsters that haunt twelfth-century British texts, arguing that in these strange bodies are expressed fears and fantasies about community, identity and race during the period. Cohen finds the origins of these monsters in a contemporary obsession with blood, both the literal and metaphorical kind.Introduction: In medias res Acts of Separation: Shaping Communal Bodies Between Belongings: History's Middle In the Borderlands: The Identity of Gerald of Wales City of Catastrophes The Flow of Blood in Norwich Epilogue: In medias res

'Cohen is established as one of the prime researchers on monstrosity, masculinity and postcolonialism in medieval Britain, and the New Middle Ages Series as one of the most inventive in medieval studies...it makes for a riveting - entertaining as well as disconcerting - read about the important and neglected aftermath of 1066.' - TLS

JEFFREY JEROME COHEN is Professor of English at George Washington University in Washington DC, USA.