Mermaids, Monkeys, and Men Laying Eggs? Interpreting Images in the Margins of Medieval Manuscripts

Presented by Dr. Maeve Doyle, Associate Professor of Art History, Eastern Connecticut State University

How should we interpret the sometimes silly, inane, even shocking images we find decorating the borders of later medieval prayer books and other manuscripts? Using approaches from queer theory and the digital humanities, this talk explores this curious imagery and the roles it played in shaping medieval readers’ experiences of gender, sexuality, embodiment, religion and more.

This event has been funded by a 2025 Centennial Grant from the Medieval Academy of America. It is co-sponsored by the OSU Center for the Humanities and the OSU Library.