Preternatural Beasts: The Nowell Codex, Wonder, and the Nature of Dragons
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| Publicat a: | ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (2025) |
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| Accés en línia: | Citation/Abstract Full Text - PDF |
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| Resum: | This dissertation explores the representations of dragons in the Nowell Codex (British Library, Cotton Vitellius A xv), specifically through the Wonders of the East, the Letter from Alexander to Aristotle, and Beowulf. I argue that the dragons in these texts are not monstrous as previous scholarship has assumed, but rather wondrous, preternatural creatures that exist in a middle space between the natural and the supernatural. To this end, I explore the influence of early encyclopedic texts—specifically the Naturalis Historia by Pliny the Elder, the Etymologiae by Isidore of Seville, and the anonymously composed Physiologus—on the texts of the Nowell Codex. I argue that early encyclopedias offer both physiological descriptions and an attitude of wonder when describing dragons, and this tradition follows in the Nowell Codex. Through its dragons, the Nowell Codex demonstrates how its readers can engage with wonders. This experience catalyzes important reflections and questions on how humankind understands and relates to the more-than-human world. |
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| ISBN: | 9798293891559 |
| Font: | ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global |