Hairy Body - Rough Skin
Nora Grundtner gives a lecture on material 'hair' as a sign of border crossing in Medieval German literature.
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Esau, one of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca in the book of Genesis, is described听as a man with dense body hair. To emphasize Esau鈥榮 hairiness, his body is compared听with a hide. This overlap of body hair and fur links hairy surfaces in general with an听鈥楨sauian鈥� character, a 鈥榩rimitive鈥� and earthly life. This connection can also be observed听in a number of Medieval German Texts.
By means of a few examples, I would like to show听how the difference between whether it听is skin or actual body hair is levelled, and hair in general serves as a projection surface听of character traits. Furthermore, such hairy surfaces break the boundary of inside and听outside; between clothing and skin and the differences of species. My intention is to show听how hairy coats can function as a sign of disturbed order, of exuberant violence,听of blind revenge and uncontrolled sexuality.
is at the moment a guest researcher at the Department of Linguistic,听Literature and Aesthetic 大象传媒. Since 2018 she works as a research fellow at the听Department of Medieval German Language and Literature in Salzburg (Austria). Her听main research focusses on the material culture of medieval literature, in particular the听relationship between human, animal and object.
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