Cultural and Linguistic Avatars of a Monstrous Creature. History of the Bat
Cultural and Linguistic Avatars of a Monstrous Creature. History of the Bat
Author(s): Oana Uţă BărbulescuPublished by: Editura Universitară & ADI Publication
Keywords: ‛ăṭallēp ↔ νυκτερίς ↔ vespertilio; negative/ positive semiotisation; categorical knowledge vs. knowledge by properties; etymological and onomasiological perspective on the names given to bats
Summary/Abstract: The most important goal of this article is the analysis and interpretation of a representative corpus of Romanian texts (from the 17th century to the 18th century), in order to establish how the imaginary apparitions that give shape to medieval and post medieval cultural anxieties. In ancient times monsters are mentioned equally in the Bible, in the works of the Church Fathers and in the so-called popular texts, being a structural part of specific topoi, which enjoyed a large circulation in the European culture and in the Romanian one through various sources. In the case of the bat, monstrosity is bound up with questions of deformity and hybridity. We aim to tackle from a cognitive perspective the attitudes towards the monsters considered as signs of vices or virtues.
Journal: International Journal of Cross-Cultural Studies and Environmental Communication
- Issue Year: 4/2015
- Issue No: 01 (SI)
- Page Range: 61-92
- Page Count: 32