Queering Medieval Latin Rhetoric: Silence, Subversion, and Sexual Heterodoxy

This book explores how medieval Latin authors use preterition to highlight the scandalous absence of sex, creating a destabilizing reliance on audience reaction and enabling subversive interpretations by marginalized communities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 136 pages
Publication date: 05 January 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This captivating book delves into the intriguing realm of medieval Latin literature, exploring the profound silence surrounding the topic of sex, both the absence and presence of it. The authors employ a rhetorical tradition that traces its roots back to classical practices and theories, skillfully constructing their silences as artistic expressions. The strategy of preterition, a rhetorical technique, plays a central role in this discourse. By claiming to overlook or pass over scandalous subjects, preterition draws attention to them in a provocative manner, creating a sense of destabilization that underpins the entire technology of persuasion in classical rhetoric.

Medieval Latin preterition invites us to contemplate the multifaceted nature of silence. It reveals that silence is not a singular entity but rather a collection of multiple silences. These silences are not merely the result of what preterition is but rather the impact that it has on the text and the reader. Through careful attention to preterition, we become aware that silence possesses the power to enable subversive interpretations by individuals and communities who have been marginalized under dominant regimes of sexuality.

This book serves as a testament to the enduring relevance of medieval Latin literature, as it sheds light on the complexities of human sexuality and the power of language to shape perceptions and narratives. It encourages us to explore the silences in our own lives and societies, to question the dominant narratives that govern our understanding of sex, and to embrace the diversity of experiences and perspectives that exist within the realm of sexuality.

Weight: 163g
ISBN-13: 9781009206877