In the Middle Ages, in the absence of the word [metamorphosis], inseparable from the work of Ovid, we know the thing well. Latin and vernacular literature multiplies the stories of "mutations" and "mutations" (mutart, converti) of "men into beasts", the stories in which the heroes "are made", "become" (fieri) animals. The metamorphosis of a being, that is to say its passage from one realm to another of nature, is in fact part of the archetypes of human affectivity. Its analysis in medieval literature offers a privileged observation of the play of oppositions and interferences, or better of osmosis between the different cultural registers: Christianity and paganism, learned culture and popular culture, clergy and laity, Latin and vernacular languages. A first opposition, between Christianity and paganism is the only relevant approach to the theme until the 12th century, since the only texts to tell stories of metamorphoses, in the only literary language, Latin, are apologetic texts. However, for the theologians of the Middle Ages, the belief in metamorphosis is a result of pagan superstitions whose survival they deplore: it calls into question the creative power of God. - [Editor]

Language: French