Animals on the Edge: From Exotic Beasts to Nonhuman Transcendence

Was there a horse sense in the medieval period? Why did word-licking dogs inhabit manuscript borders? The seven intriguing articles in this publication explore animals on the edge and the boundaries between humans and animals. These articles provide insights into the discussions in animal studies and medieval studies about the multiple roles of medieval fauna, challenging our understanding of how animals were understood in the Middle Ages. The authors of the articles demonstrate how humans have always constructed animals but also have been constructed by animals. The examples are drawn from manuscripts, fables, textual and visual accounts, as well as material culture. This publication raises interesting aspects about the profound and ambiguous relationship between animals and humans, edges and boundaries, hybridity and anthropomorphism, ideas and identities.