Chaucer the Alchemist: Physics, Mutability, and the Medieval Imagination

ISBN-13: 9781137541345 / Angielski / Twarda / 2015 / 291 str.

Alexander N. Gabrovsky

Opis

The secrets of Nature's alchemy and the mysteries of "change" captivated both the scientific and literary imagination of the Middle Ages. Beneath the sphere of the moon in the medieval realm of mutability, the endless process of chemical transmutation of one element into another was seen as the basis of all physical change on Earth; human beings, animals, and all material things were thought to be part of a continual cycle of generation and corruption. This book investigates Chaucer's fascination with earthly mutability. Gabrovsky argues that an integrated knowledge of alchemy and physics is crucial to our understanding of the physical and psychological transformations central to Chaucer's poetry. He reveals that Chaucer's oeuvre represents a major contribution to the philosophy of physics, astronomy, alchemy, and logic, bringing to light a medieval worldview centered on the infinite variety of transformations in the natural world.

Recenzje

"This is a highly valuable and essential study for scholars interested in the depth and breadth of Chaucer's sophisticated use of medieval science and philosophy, which takes our understanding of the philosophical poet to new heights." (Shazia Jagot, Speculum, Vol. 95 (1), January, 2020)

"Alexander N. Gabrovsky's book is an important study into the role of alchemy and transmutation in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and fourteenth-century scientific thought. ... Gabrovsky provides important insights about the relationship between medieval alchemy and physics and how it affects the reading of medieval literature. ... the book is especially useful for considering the role of alchemy and science in Chaucer's works and its impact upon character development and the imagination." (Curtis Runstedler, Ambix, Vol. 65 (04), September, 2018)

O autorze

Alexander N. Gabrovsky holds a PhD in Medieval Literature from Cambridge University, UK and received an MD from VCU School of Medicine, USA. He specializes in alchemical manuscripts, paleopathology, and the history of occult and natural philosophy in the Middle Ages. He has published various journal articles related to disease in mummies, the medical field, history of art and medieval cryptography. He is a physician in Kansas City, USA.