Medieval Institute Publications

Monsters, Prodigies and Demons: Medieval and Early Modern Constructions of Alterity

The "Monster of Cracow": a humanoid figure with pointed, webbed fingers; a long, curved nose; giant eyebrows; a tail; and animal heads at the knees, elbows, and armpits.
"Histoires Prodigieuses; the Monster of Cracow," 1559, London, Wellcome Collection. Public domain.

Monsters, Prodigies, and Demons: Medieval and Early Modern Constructions of Alterity is dedicated to the study of monstrosity and alterity in the medieval and early modern world, and to the investigation of cultural constructions of otherness, abnormality and difference from a wide range of perspectives.

Keywords: Monsters, monstrosity, supernatural, alterity, otherness, hybridity, disability studies, grotesque, race studies, whiteness studies, colonial studies, history of emotions

Geographical scope: Global

Chronological scope: Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Modern

  • Melissa Ridley Elmes, Lindenwood University
  • Juanita Feros Ruys, University of Sydney

To submit a proposal or completed manuscript to be considered for publication by Medieval Institute Publications or to learn more about the series, contact Tyler Cloherty, the acquisitions editor for the series.

All Books in this Series

Portraits of Human Monsters in the Renaissance: Dwarves, Hirsutes, and Castrati as Idealized Anatomical Anomalies book cover image

Portraits of Human Monsters in the Renaissance: Dwarves, Hirsutes, and Castrati as Idealized Anatomical Anomalies

By Touba Ghadessi, Wheaton College

At the center of this interdisciplinary study are court monsters - dwarves, hirsutes, and misshapen individuals - who, by their very presence, altered Renaissance ethics vis-à-vis anatomical difference, social virtues, and scientific knowledge. The study traces how these monsters evolved from objects of curiosity, to scientific cases, to legally independent beings. The works examined here point to the intricate cultural, religious, ethical, and scientific perceptions of monstrous individuals who were fixtures in contemporary courts.

MPD Monograph 1, ISBN 978-1-58044-275-6 (clothbound), 978-1-58044-276-3 (PDF) © 2018

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