I am primarily interested in charting changing theological views of sex as revealed in a number of bestiary entries concerned with this theme, including the siren, beaver, and siren rocks. I try to show how bestiary characterizations of sex are consistently negative and generally condemn women as the impetus behind sexual misconduct. I trace a shift in emphasis over time by contrasting the ways in which the theme of sex functions as a theological guidepost in the Latin prose bestiaries with its later function in the Bestiaire d'Amour. - [Introduction]

Language: English

ISBN: 0-8153-2952-0