Demonic Possession, Vulnerability, and Performance in Medieval French Drama — Occult Philosophy

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Demonic Possession, Vulnerability, and Performance in Medieval French Drama

Name: Demonic Possession, Vulnerability, and Performance in Medieval French Drama
Price: 105.80 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781433130779

✍️ Stephen G Nichols, Andreea Marculescu

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$105.80

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

An academic study of demon possession and performance in medieval French drama.

Stephen G Nichols and Andreea Marculescu examine how medieval theologians, hagiographers, and natural philosophers constructed the subjectivity of the demoniac. Drawing on late medieval French Passion Plays and hagiographical works by figures such as Arnoul Gréban and Jean Michel, the text analyzes the physical symptoms of possession, including convulsions, contortions, and shrieks of pain. The analysis shifts away from traditional pathological interpretations, proposing instead an intercorporeal framework centered on sensuous exchange and bodily vulnerability.

Key Themes

medieval French drama demonic possession bodily vulnerability

Literary Context

This work sits within late-medieval France, drawing on religious plays and hagiographical texts authored by Arnoul Gréban, André de la Vigne, Eustache Mercadé, and Jean Michel. It engages with medieval theological anxieties, natural philosophy, and the intellectual frameworks constructed by medieval male intellectuals regarding the supernatural and the human body.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Foucault's works on power and knowledge · Gender theory in medieval literature · Performance studies of religious ritual · Historical analyses of the body

🕯️

Occult Philosophy

🏛 Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers 📅 2018 📖 148 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9781433130779

Fun Fact

This is a truly incisive academic work, challenging entrenched views of medieval possession by reframing it through a lens of gender, performance, and intercorporeality. It excels at deconstructing historical narratives, offering a nuanced perspective on female subjectivity and intellectual constructs of the era. Those seeking a traditional, purely theological account of demonology might find its critical approach less satisfying. However, for scholars of literary criticism, gender studies, and the history of medicine, it offers a fresh, thought-provoking contribution to the understanding of medieval drama and belief systems.

📝 Description: Demonic Possession, Vulnerability, and Performance in Medieval French Drama

Demonic Possession, Vulnerability, and Performance in Medieval French Drama is a scholarly study by Stephen G Nichols and Andreea Marculescu. Marculescu earned a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, held an ACLS New Faculty Fellowship at Harvard University, and teaches Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She co-edited Affective and Emotional Economies in Medieval and Early-Modern Europe and authored articles in Mediaevalia, Literature Compass, and Critique on medieval theater and demonology. This hardcover volume explores how medieval male intellectuals viewed the possessed woman through clinical vocabularies, theological anxieties, and bodily pathology. The primary texts comprise late medieval French Passion Plays and hagiographical drama by Jean Michel, André de la Vigne, Arnoul Gréban, and Eustache Mercadé. Rather than viewing the demoniac as an anomalous figure lacking agency, the authors analyze possession through an affective and ethical framework centered on intercorporeality, sensuous exchange, pain, healing, witnessing, and vulnerability. The chapters examine bodily narratives, demonic constructs, and supernatural phenomena within the context of medieval French drama. This title suits academic readers and researchers studying medieval literature, European literary criticism, religious cults, and gender studies. It does not suit readers seeking general interest guides, contemporary occult practices, astrology manuals, or casual witchcraft texts.

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

This is a dense, theoretical exploration that demands patience and a strong background in literary criticism. It successfully deconstructs the male intellectual gaze but may frustrate general readers seeking accessible history or narrative pleasure. Those looking for straightforward accounts of exorcism rituals or simple historical timelines will find little here. It is strictly for academics and serious enthusiasts willing to engage with abstract concepts of intercorporeality and performative vulnerability. The text is rigorous and intellectually stimulating, though its academic tone may alienate casual readers interested in the occult without a scholarly framework.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars and students of medieval French drama will find this text invaluable for its bold re-evaluation of possession narratives. Nichols and Marculescu offer a fresh lens, encouraging readers to see the possessed not as victims of pathology but as active agents in a complex performative exchange. It is essential for those interested in how gender dynamics shape theological discourse and how vulnerability can be weaponized or utilized within artistic frameworks. The book provides deep insight into the sensuous intercorporeality between performer and observer, making it a crucial resource for understanding the nuanced communication strategies of the medieval stage.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're fascinated by the intersection of gender, performance, and belief in the Middle Ages, or if you seek to deconstruct historical narratives around 'abnormality,' this book offers a profoundly insightful and challenging perspective for your studies.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

This is a dense, theoretical exploration that demands patience and a strong background in literary criticism. It successfully deconstructs the male intellectual gaze but may frustrate general readers seeking accessible history or narrative pleasure. Those looking for straightforward accounts of exorcism rituals or simple historical timelines will find little here. It is strictly for academics and serious enthusiasts willing to engage with abstract concepts of intercorporeality and performative vulnerability. The text is rigorous and intellectually stimulating, though its academic tone may alienate casual readers interested in the occult without a scholarly framework.

❓ Frequently asked questions

The book argues that medieval demonic possession, especially in women, was less a pathological state and more a constructed, performative phenomenon, used by male intellectuals to explore theological and philosophical questions, and understood as a form of intercorporeal communication.

While touching upon religious anxieties, the book is firmly rooted in literary criticism, specifically analyzing medieval French drama. It uses these dramatic texts to deconstruct how possession was depicted and understood, focusing on performance and subjectivity.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Female Vulnerability Reimagined

The text explores how medieval male scholars framed possessed women as 'anomalous' and 'incapable of self-governance,' turning their experiences into a lens for theological inquiry rather than acknowledging their subjective reality. It critically re-examines how these narratives contributed to specific understandings of womanhood in the period.

Demonic Performance Theory

This book posits that the dramatic manifestations of possession—shrieks, contortions—should be understood not as mental illness but as a form of 'intercorporeality.' It suggests these bodily expressions were a dynamic dialogue, a 'sensuous exchange' between the possessed individual and their community, offering a new perspective on medieval theatricality.

Intellectual Constructs of Evil

Delving into how medieval theologians and philosophers used the concept of the demoniac, this work argues it was a 'fetishistic construction.' It reveals how these intellectuals utilized the possessed figure to intellectualize abstract notions of demons, the supernatural, and the very nature of the human body and its boundaries.

📜 Historical context

In an era where the supernatural permeated daily life, medieval French drama often mirrored profound theological anxieties. This book situates its analysis within a tradition where demonic possession was a potent symbol, moving beyond purely theological interpretations to explore its cultural and gendered dimensions, offering a fresh lens on an ancient phenomenon.

📚 Glossary

Demoniac
Hysteric
Intercorporeality

📔 Questions to reflect on

How might our modern understanding of mental health or 'abnormal' behavior be influenced by historical constructs similar to medieval possession narratives?
Consider a contemporary performance or dramatic work that explores themes of vulnerability or altered states. How does it compare to the medieval 'performance' of possession discussed in this book?
Reflect on how power dynamics (e.g., gender, intellectual authority) might shape interpretations of unusual phenomena in your own field of interest.