tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post4732376874336278203..comments2022-04-11T01:28:17.873-07:00Comments on A Blog of Beasts!: Research Paper Brainstorming IdeasAnimals in the Middle Ageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10809281152134119502noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-7607371952451610262010-10-10T12:02:13.374-07:002010-10-10T12:02:13.374-07:00I'd stay clear of the werewolf question if wha...I'd stay clear of the werewolf question if what you are really interested in is wolves. But it might be interesting to consider of you are looking more at representations of wolves, particularly when you deal with wolves like Isengrim.<br /><br />RLFBAnimals in the Middle Ageshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809281152134119502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-77168054634667454572010-10-06T23:39:38.009-07:002010-10-06T23:39:38.009-07:00It depends on how much material you find. Usually ...It depends on how much material you find. Usually zeroing in on the smallest corner of the topic possible is the best idea (ie, wolves in medieval literature instead of wolves in the middle ages, and wolves in Marie de France instead of wolves in medieval literature). However, depending on the question you're asking and how many examples in the primary sources you can find, you may choose to broaden your source base. Certainly if you were researching human interaction with wolves during the middle ages it would be very feasible to look at literary examples of it. If you really want to talk about literature, though, it would probably be strange to use both literary and non-fiction accounts. However, it would still depend very much on what you wanted to do with them. My suggestion for the stage that you're in would be to read as much as you possibly can and then narrow down your topic after you have a good sense of what sources you can find and what things are the most interesting to you.<br /><br />One thing about wolves which you may be completely uninterested in but I will put out anyway: have you considered werewolves at all?B.T.Carolushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10549741099055782849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-63129927905812143822010-10-06T17:26:02.063-07:002010-10-06T17:26:02.063-07:00Thank you for your thoughts and advice. I haven...Thank you for your thoughts and advice. I haven't really written many research papers throughout my college career and therefore I am still having a lot of questions. For example, do I have to focus specifically on either literature or human interactions if I want to write upon inconsistencies with the perception of the wolf in the middle ages? or can I mention all the inconsistencies I find across literature and within culture in the same paper?<br /><br />O.B.Animals in the Middle Ageshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809281152134119502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-6332246516986762972010-10-04T19:16:52.556-07:002010-10-04T19:16:52.556-07:00I think that you should choose a topic that you ar...I think that you should choose a topic that you are excited about, and it definitely seems like you are interested in both wolves and lambs. Like Hannah, my first thought on wolves is that in the Medieval period people may not have been aware that dogs were domesticated wolves. It may be interesting to use wolves and dogs as a way to probe the question how did people in the middle ages distinguish between species/kinds?B.T.Carolushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10549741099055782849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-90517015025894516332010-10-04T18:49:29.927-07:002010-10-04T18:49:29.927-07:00I have to say: I'm already impressed by the fa...I have to say: I'm already impressed by the fact you've come up with so many topics already (and researched!). <br /><br />Here are my (meager) thoughts:<br /><br />The lamb will probably be the easiest to research, as it seems to have been a popular topic in the literature of the period. Most of the sources also seem to agree on the general tenants of the lamb's use, symbolism, and behavior. This could be very useful if you have a point you already want to make (ie, that the lamb has special status in both physical and cultural life), but could be a problem if you want to find and explore an inconsistency within the views of the lamb.<br /><br />I'm not sure all or most medieval scholars realized the dog was descended from the wolf in any meaningful way (except in the case of domesticated wolves who may have bred with dogs). They may have thought of them as two completely different species. If I'm right (and I'm not sure on this point), it may be hard to determine which literature you should be looking at to find more information on the wolfhound. <br /><br />I think both the literary and physical interactions people had with wolves would be great topics.<br /><br />Hope this helps at least a tiny bit!Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035944042961181003noreply@blogger.com