Literality and Metaphor. Leprosy between Rejection and Redemption in the Middle Ages
Abstract
The Middle Ages conceived diseases and the sick in a dual way. Diseases –recurring scourges with several symptoms– arose compassion, as they evoke the suffering Christ. However, diseases also induce rejection, being understood as manifestations of the impure and the sinful, visible in their monstrosity. These interpretations summon diverse glances as a result of mental structures entailing political, legal, social, economic and symbolic issues. In this article, we ill focus on a paradigmatic disease of the Middle Ages such as leprosy that is associated in the collective imagination with the dark and the repulsive and with the rejected and suffering malates. This issue, despite the recurrence, continues to be the subject of review. Thus, relying on the textual and iconic discourses we will analyze the dialectical game that the various conceptions about this scourge that were shaping the myth of the disease engage in.
Downloads
Article download
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Eikon Imago is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
