Material Studies and Medieval Narrative: The Case of Glass

ABSTRACT How is glass—as a material and in the form of glass-made objects—narrativized in medieval texts? In line with this special issue breaking new ground by opening up narrative theory to the material turn, my contribution follows a twofold approach: this article provides a medievalist’s perspective on object-oriented narratology. What can we learn from premodern contexts of narration and the function of objects along the lines of the suggestion of distinguishing among a mimetic, thematic, strategic, and structural function of objects in narratives? Combining Marie-Laure Ryan and Tang Weisheng’s approach with medievalists’ insights on matter and material and the idea of the “virtue” of objects, this article explores to what extent glass is functionalized as a powerful metaphor and motif across several Middle English texts, including Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Canterbury Tales, and the anonymous romance Sir Orfeo.