Body and Soul

How Does Medieval English Literature Fit in the 21st Century? A CONVERSATION WITH MASHA RASKOLNIKOV, ENGLISH

What makes a career promising for you here at Cornell? sacrificing traditional forms, that it is crucial to let English literature I teach medieval English literature in combination with feminist grow as a field but to also find a way to teach the old stuff, the studies and critical theory, fields that are not often combined, canon, in new ways—to transform it and to give new groups of although I believe that they need one another to thrive. Cornell has people access to it. a long, proud tradition in , and I am very honored to teach here. In the previous generation, it was famous as a bas - Why is important? tion of traditional philological criticism, the study of what medieval I have to object to this question! While medieval literature is most literature can tell us about linguistic history, and also of patristics, certainly important, it is also beautiful for its own sake. The experi - the history of the church fathers. In fact, my very office used to be ence of reading literature because it is beautiful is crucial to the the office of Robert Kaske, who was an enormous, internationally- education of any human being. It does not have to be useful, and it known presence in medieval studies. It was something else to take does not have to get you a job. Sometimes students are “forced” by over that office, to physically occupy his former space, although schedules or requirements to take classes in early periods, and they he’s been deceased for quite a few years now! discover—and this is one of those discoveries I am always midwifing— how simply beautiful the poetry and the drama are. That said, I Cornell’s English department as a whole has a tradition of acceptance would insist that the Middle Ages is such a historically distant period and inclusion. When the so-called “culture wars” started in the 1980s, that learning to study its culture thoughtfully and to read its works at other places there was a fight about whether it was worth teaching critically prepares students to encounter, process, and comprehend the “old stuff,” like medieval literature—or the folks who taught the challenging new information, honing those critical thinking, reading, old stuff would oppose the inclusion of works by women, people of and writing skills that are at the heart of a solid education. color, or Third World writers because they didn’t fit with a traditional English program. Here at Cornell, however, literary studies always What do you research? remained strong and cohesive. My colleagues knew that the cur - One of the reasons I became a medievalist is because I am interested riculum had to make room for new fields of scholarship but without in origins—where we come from. One can have a biological question Research in Progress

about origins or a physics question about everyday people in the Middle Ages would it. My interest is where our “selves” come have imagined their selves—as beings whose from—our current idea of what the self is— physical and spiritual needs were always which may sound like a question for fundamentally at odds with each other. I psychologists, but often ends up being a look at these works and ask, How did we, matter for poets. At the basis of this inquiry and let’s just take the Western tradition is the premise that, if we know where we here, actually become this thing called a come from, we have the freedom to change “human being”? Why do we imagine our - where we are going. We become less bound selves as beings that are split between body to the things that are given to us when we and soul, the carnal and the spiritual? Some can go back and analyze them. My particular feminist theory would say that splitting M a Graduate students need careers, and they still t t h e w

F study medieval literature … Because there are o n d e u r still interesting things to say. / C U

focus of study is one that runs through all body and soul and not loving the body is of Western history and remains of primary the cardinal sin, the first sin of Western cul - interest to modern theorists, particularly ture. I look at how this split came about. feminist theorists: how my body relates to “me.” I study this by examining medieval Often in these debates I study, the body is debates between the body and the soul and imagined as female and the soul is imag - other writings that rely on personifying ined as male. I investigate how that works parts of the self in order to explain what it’s and changes over time. It is not always made of. body = female. Sometimes when it is not, there is no female at all. In the early poems, How did you become interested in this area of all of us have a male soul. £ I am interested in origins—where we come research? from. One can have a biological question As a graduate student I started doing femi - So, that’s my book: it’s called Body against about origins or a physics question about it. nist theory and, in doing so, found myself Soul: Gender and Sowlehele in Middle My interest is where our “selves” come always interested in origins, going back and English Allegory . Its publication date is July from—our current idea of what the self is. then further back to earlier and earlier 2009 from State University Press, as texts, often encountering works that are part of a new series they’re starting called £ My premise is that literatures and cultures just fundamentally sexist. The man needs to Interventions: New Studies in Medieval structure our “selves.” I explore how be in charge of the woman the way the soul Culture, edited by a scholar I admire, Ethan medieval people conceived the content of needs to be in charge of the body—that Knapp of Ohio State. I’m honored to be the who a person is and how they organized and cliché gets repeated over and over again in first book in the series! In the book, I explore disciplined it. all kinds of cultural traditions. But I found how medieval people conceived the content it interesting. Where did this come from? of who a person is, and how they organized How far back does it go? And, still, a lot of and disciplined it. £ This is fundamental: how did we become human beings in the Western tradition my work and teaching asks, What is the logic of this sexism? How can we unmake Tell us more about your book. where people are split between body and it? Does our modern idea of the self have to In the subtitle of the book I use this very odd soul? rely on sexist assumptions in order to exist? word, “sowlehele” (pronounced “soul heal”): it confused everybody to whom I showed the £ Often in this work, the body is imagined as When you look at origins, what specifically are book’s cover! Sowlehele is a medieval term. female and the soul is imagined as male. I you looking at in literature? It shows up as part of the title of at least two trace this. I investigate how it works and My favorite part of my current book is medieval manuscripts, where it seems to changes over time. where I examine several fairly obscure describe how the manuscripts should be 13th-century debates between the body and used—in order to help heal the soul. My book the soul. Not a lot of people have studied doesn’t take on everything in these manu - these, so there’s room for me to say new scripts. One of them, the so-called Vernon things and to make discoveries by examin - manuscript, is huge. It weighs more than fifty ing them. These works speak to how pounds! But it looks at how the idea of the

28

Fascinating!

soul, as a being distinct from the body, is implications is one associated with Piers interested in what knowledge is and how the used in some of the works intended to heal Plowman , which was actually quoted from in “common sense” we have today was created the soul. This goes back to why I think med- the 1381 Peasant Revolt. Poor people staged in centuries past. But they do not yet know ieval literature is important: how it bridges an uprising because things were hard, and where to ask their questions. What am I going any divide between didactic and entertaining, the laws of the land were strongly against to do with the modern theory to push it healing and damaging, all at once. them. The rebels seem to have included lit - forward? What is going to be my archive? erate people who had read Piers Plowman , We used to have great debates in literary as well as people who had heard this book I try to get the students who come with classes about the purpose of literature— read aloud. We know this because they hard questions and who are not sure where didactic or entertaining—and the debate quoted it, and when asked who their leader to go to ask those questions. I tell them that began in medieval lit. was, they listed Piers Plowman as one of in the Middle Ages, these questions are wide It did! Chaucer poses that question at the the group of leaders. This must have open. There are fields of topics that have not beginning of the Canterbury Tales. The com - stunned the author, who was still alive at been studied enough and questions that have petition of the Canterbury Tales is framed by the time. Finally, the king rode out to meet never been asked. You can still do ground - the question, who can tell the tale of the the peasants, and at just the sight of the breaking work. most sentance and solas ? Sentance means usefulness, and solas means pleasure, like “solace.” The key is to balance the two. In Although there are many things to love about the classroom I make a lot of references to Cornell, the first thing that comes to mind is contemporary culture, as well as contempo - the students. I have had amazing students from rary political references, and I work through current questions using medieval literature. the very first day I got here. For some students, the parts that are the solas —the sweet part—is the medieval poetry, whereas other students want to get us away king, they laid down their arms: they And if you had to convince undergraduates to from medieval poetry and talk about how believed he would do right by them. They take a medieval literature course from you, and it is relevant to the current crises in our were then killed by the king’s men. That of its relevancy, what examples would you use? country or whatever. was the end of the peasant revolt. I would say, “Medieval literature is going to surprise you—it’s sexy, funny stuff.” I would Can you talk about perspectives in medieval When I talk about this work, it seems like a tell them about the new interest in romantic literature that have been translated to contem - philosophical or psychological work. It love that emerges over the course of the porary settings? doesn’t say, “Down with the king!” or “Let’s Middle Ages—interest in what it means to What comes to mind is Chaucer’s other take the land back from the rich!” Although love and in what love does to the person. well-known work, Troilus and Criseyde . it was not a successful revolution, the revolt Some say that romantic love as we know it Troilus, the main character, cries frequently of 1381 was incredibly important. What was invented in the Middle Ages. I would because he is a romantic lover, and some - was the role of Piers Plowman in all this? Is get arguments from the classicists about times he faints. He is also a great soldier, there, within this meandering, digressive, this, but it’s certainly a theory. and his prowess on the battlefield is never allegorical work some sort of message, like questioned. Anytime I teach this work, my “you deserve better”? I would also say that today, we often talk students are horrified by him, and they call about the Western or Enlightenment idea of him unmanly or something worse. It’s inter - Graduate students need careers, and they still the person, which is the idea of the self as esting to watch female students in particular study medieval literature … an enclosed thing, independent of any really come down hard on this character. I Because there are still interesting things influence from the world—like a little ball think Troilus is super useful to show the to say. floating in space and closed off. In medieval cultural difference of the Middle Ages. literature, we can trace the invention of the Clearly, his weeping and fainting didn’t What don’t we know yet? human to before the . (Sometimes mean then what it seems to mean now. But There is so much. For example, my next the blame or praise for the idea of the subject I also tell my students to look at what project may be on didactic writings from turns out to be yet another thing we give they’re saying critically. We talk about how the Middles Ages, which is part of the his - Shakespeare all the credit for!) We can trace hard it can be to be a man, if what you are tory of confession and sin. There’s a huge the idea of the human in the 13th century not allowed to do is cry when you are in energy in the field right now to look at in the body-soul debates I study and teach— love for the first time. We talk about how things in a new way. The kind of student I it’s just getting invented! limiting life is if you cannot cry. often talk with—students who come to Cornell because they are interested in critical Maybe, knowing about this, we can start to Another point of translating medieval lit er - theory (this is a great school for that), feminist imagine the self in a different way. Maybe ature to another setting with contemporary theory, and philosophical questions— are it’s something other than a being that can

30 Research in Progress

be divided into body and soul. We have We start with Caedmon’s “Hymn,” which is hobbies. What I do every day is both my been trying to liberate the Western subject considered the first poem written in English. hobby and my job, since in my teaching from its self-enclosed bubble for a lot of the Supposedly, it was written by an illiterate and in my research I have the freedom to 20th and 21st centuries. But they were try - shepherd. He describes a vision about the explore what really interests me. But okay, ing to figure that out in the 13th and 14th creation of the world. By inventing English I have a dog. I like film, both high and low centuries, too! Think Terminator movies. poetry, he actually recreates the world in a culture, so I go to the Cornell Cinema and They are trying to save the child who is new way. It is a beautiful feeling, to go the mall cinema complex. I go to the opera going to grow up and save humanity, but back to the beginning of something, espe - in City. you must save the child first. The origin is cially when that “something” is as complex where you’ll find your answers. a topic as English literature. Is there anything you love about Ithaca? I love that because we are in a small town, A little while ago, I had an undergraduate Why did you choose academia as a career? I run into my students on the streets, at the who pushed to take a graduate course that My father was a teacher of literature back coffee shops, in the stores. A lot of people explored a highly specialized question: how in Russia. He believed that teaching critical enjoy the natural beauty of Ithaca, but I am to study queer history in the middle ages. thinking skills was a way to help people to a true urbanite. If you take me hiking and I It’s pretty specialized, so I would not teach be free, even in a totalitarian state. The am out of cell phone reach, I nearly panic. I an undergraduate class like this, which is value of education and the value of teach - cannot wear heels when walking up along why he wanted to take the grad class. I ing is very significant in my family, dating Cascadilla Creek, but I like Cascadilla Creek. think, for him, this was a way of finding back to my grandmother who learned to I like walking past water on my way to out his own past and feeling like he had a read by eavesdropping on high school campus, and there are ducks. [Lots of place in the world. For example, we read classes in a small village in the Ukraine. laughter.] There are ways in which Ithaca about Edward II, king of England in the has bent me to its will. Ducks! That’s kind early 1300s, who is killed because of his I love teaching, and I love research. I would of exciting! love for a man. This is awful, of course, but be obnoxiously bored doing any other type it also says such a man existed and loved of job. When I was younger, I dreamed of another man openly. When I do a history being a writer, but in academia, I am a For more information: of the self, I am actually asking a much writer, I am a teacher, I am even sometimes E-mail: [email protected] broader question about legitimacy. There an activist—I get to think and argue, I get to are people like us in the past, who are be a stand-up comedian and an actor. nevertheless radically different. Because I teach at Cornell, there is enough space to be both a scholar and a teacher What are you currently teaching? with as much intensity given to both as I About Raskolnikov Right now, English 201 is my exciting new have energy to give. class. I feel like it’s the class I was simply meant to teach—it’s all you ever wanted What excites you about this place? to know about English literature and were Although there are many things to love 7 afraid to ask, from to Milton. about Cornell, the first thing that comes to Because it is a large lecture class, if I make mind is the students. I have had amazing them laugh, I feel a whole wave of response students from the very first day I got here. University of California at Berkeley ripple through the hall; it’s a real high. The When I had just arrived, one of my col - course is not only for English majors but leagues very kindly sent a brilliant but also for students who love literature, so I maybe somewhat obstinate student to me. It My office get a lot of diversity in the class, including was a little intimidating having a col - scientists and engineers. I have a special league’s prize pupil in my class all of a affinity for sci-fi geeks, who are often in sudden, and the student certainly chal - A great fusion of cutting-edge critical these programs—they really get why it’s lenged me to see if I really knew my stuff, methods and a tradition of strong useful to understand all about Beowulf making me think on my feet and sometimes medieval studies fighting Grendel, and it’s fun to go from come up with new insights right on the there to, say, the power of Shakespeare’s spot just to be able to keep up my end of sonnets. The class is actually called “The the debate. That student ended up writing Amazing students English Literary Tradition,” and it runs the an honors thesis with me and is now a risk of sounding like boring, dusty old stuff. graduate student at another institution. But each work speaks to our predicament An urbanite in Ithaca today, and it isn’t hard to make this canon What are your hobbies? appear vibrantly alive to students. Hobbies? It’s hard for professors to have

Years as Cornell faculty

Came to Cornell from 31

Favorite spot on campus

Cornell’s research distinction

Cornell’s trademark

I am also