A Queer Omission in Sir Orfeo

Details

Ressource 1Download: Orfeo2023Critten.pdf (527.10 [Ko])
State: Public
Version: author
License: Not specified
Serval ID
serval:BIB_CB934C97A65A
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
A Queer Omission in Sir Orfeo
Journal
ELH
Author(s)
Critten Rory G.
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2023
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
90
Number
4
Pages
909-32
Language
english
Abstract
Sir Orfeo is a Middle English retelling of the Orpheus myth that allows the hero to keep his bride. This paper counters readings of the poem as a vindication of married love by focusing on its reception in the shadow of a significant omission: both Virgil and Ovid state that after losing Eurydice, Orpheus gave up loving women; Ovid adds that Orpheus loved boys. The significance of these missing conclusions is explored for readers of the poem from its scribes to their patrons and their patrons’ families. The paper shows the usefulness of a reception-oriented approach for queer readings of the text.
Keywords
Sir Orfeo, Orpheus, Ovid, medieval, Middle English, sexuality, gender, queer, children's literature, reception, manuscripts, Auchinleck, Ashmole 61, Harley 3810
Create date
09/11/2022 14:56
Last modification date
09/12/2023 8:17
Usage data