7 research outputs found
Woven words: clothwork and the representation of feminine expression and identity in old French romance
This thesis focuses on the ways in which cloth and clothwork are
represented in Old French romance in order to highlight how they relate to
feminine voice, expression, and identity. By focusing mainly on medieval
romance from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the field of research is
narrowed to a period in which vernacular literature was redefining literacy.
On the basis that literacy is not confined to the ability to read and write in
Latin, clothwork is presented as a medium of literate expression, that being a
form of readable knowledge or communication not codified in written word
or language, and in the works of such authors as Marie de France, ChrĂŠtien
de Troyes, and Jean Renart, amongst others, the presentation of clothwork fits
this classification. My research focuses on gendered performance and
gendered objects highlighting the divide between masculinity and femininity
in materiality. Beginning with a contextualised and historical understanding
of feminine clothwork, authority, and gendered biases in the Middle Ages in
France, the Virgin Maryâs associations with clothwork leads into an
exploration of how the identities of women are tied to the cloth that they
work or possess. From this basis, feminine voice in clothwork comes to the
forefront of discussion as seemingly inaudible women make themselves
heard through the use of needles and thread, telling their stories in cloth and
tapestry. Throughout this study, an exploration of mother-daughter
relationships is highly significant to the comprehension of feminine
education and tradition in clothwork. The chansons de toile included in Le
Roman de la Rose ou de Guillaume de Dole by Jean Renart underline the
dichotomy and tension between oral and written culture, tying feminine
voice to feminine clothwork and exploring the representation of this in the
written text. Finally, Christine de Pizanâs intimation of the importance of
feminine tasks and brilliance concludes this study in order to better
understand the ways in which the literature of the Late Middle Ages and
Renaissance departs from the medieval presentation of clothwork as a
typically feminine activity underlying and encapsulating a womanâs identity
and expressive power
Prion Shedding from Olfactory Neurons into Nasal Secretions
This study investigated the role of prion infection of the olfactory mucosa in the shedding of prion infectivity into nasal secretions. Prion infection with the HY strain of the transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) agent resulted in a prominent infection of the olfactory bulb and the olfactory sensory epithelium including the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) and vomeronasal receptor neurons (VRNs), whose axons comprise the two olfactory cranial nerves. A distinct glycoform of the disease-specific isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc, was found in the olfactory mucosa compared to the olfactory bulb, but the total amount of HY TME infectivity in the nasal turbinates was within 100-fold of the titer in the olfactory bulb. PrPSc co-localized with olfactory marker protein in the soma and dendrites of ORNs and VRNs and also with adenylyl cyclase III, which is present in the sensory cilia of ORNs that project into the lumen of the nasal airway. Nasal lavages from HY TME-infected hamsters contained prion titers as high as 103.9 median lethal doses per ml, which would be up to 500-fold more infectious in undiluted nasal fluids. These findings were confirmed using the rapid PrPSc amplification QuIC assay, indicating that nasal swabs have the potential to be used for prion diagnostics. These studies demonstrate that prion infection in the olfactory epithelium is likely due to retrograde spread from the olfactory bulb along the olfactory and vomeronasal axons to the soma, dendrites, and cilia of these peripheral neurons. Since prions can replicate to high levels in neurons, we propose that ORNs can release prion infectivity into nasal fluids. The continual turnover and replacement of mature ORNs throughout the adult lifespan may also contribute to prion shedding from the nasal passage and could play a role in transmission of natural prion diseases in domestic and free-ranging ruminants
Like Looking in a Mirror: A Material Reading of the Sisters in Galeran de Bretagne
This article explores the story of Fresne from Renautâs early thirteenth-century romance of Galeran de Bretagne and, moreover, the often overlooked story of her twin sister Flourie. In Marie de Franceâs version of the tale, the lai of Le Fraisne, the focus is on the character of Fresne, rather than her twin sister who is rarely mentioned in favour of encouraging the ultimate success of Fresne in winning the handsome knight at the end of the tale. However, inextricably linked to the success of Fresne is the failure of Flourie, and in Renautâs romance, the reader is allowed a glimpse into the trajectory and ultimate loss of her character.
The lack of physical interaction between the twin sisters provides a striking circumstance in which these twin sisters can be read as two separate halves of one whole, and the signifying markers that separate them at each stage of their identification are cloth objects