Pearl's Gardens: Ecocritical and Environmental Humanities Approaches to Pearl (ICMS Kalamazoo 2025)
Remote/Online
Organization: University of Michigan
Event: ICMS Kalamazoo 2025
Pearl’s Gardens: Interpreting the Ecocritical and the Environment in Pearl
Scholarship on the Pearl manuscript has tended to focus on the symbolism of the pearl as well as the general significance of the poem - what spiritual or religious lesson does it intend to teach? However, less frequently seen are attempts to situate Pearl within contemporary fields of theoretical inquiry. The ever-timely field of environmental humanities could shed light on certain aspects of Pearl, such as the poet’s sustained interest in gardens (of both fallow and plenty), the destruction of landscapes in Cleanness, the meaning of the sea in Patience, and the ecological dimensions of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which the environment arguably serves as an additional character. The proposed session invites scholars interested in presenting ecocritical and environmental humanities approaches to the Pearl manuscript. These papers may consider Pearl comparatively in relation to other medieval works, a single poem from the manuscript, or the manuscript in general. Session will be conducted virtually.
Keywords: Pearl-manuscript, Ga wain-manuscript, environmental humanities, ecocriticism, Cleanness, Patience
https://icms.confex.com/icms/2025/paper/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=5888
Gabrielle DaCosta-Yulsman