Having a Heatwave? Of Chaucer’s Invention of Spring, the Inconveniences of Falling Asleep in the Sun, and why a Warm Bed’s Best for Winter… in Medieval Romance
Résumé
Medieval romance is a choice field for eco-criticism and specifically the study of atmospheric representations: authors excel at bringing together meteorological contexts typical of the four seasons – both literary and natural – and corresponding or contrastive moods experienced by human and non-human characters. This presentation offers a ‘seasonal’ journey through the interlacing of external and inner weather(s) in 14th century narrative poetry, shedding light on the interplay between effect, affects and reception.