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10
Introduction
allelismbetweenhumanchildrenandanimals.ThePhilosopher,ifwe
useAristotle’smedievalepithet,indicatesthechildren’sdeficiencymani-
festedintheirinabilitytomakechoices,whichrendersthemmoresimi-
lartoanimalsthantoadulthumans.2Thebestialitysuggestsadegreeof
monstrosity,subtleastheindicationis.Aristotledidnotperceivechildren
ashumanbeings,sincetheirnaturewasallegedlyunreasonable,which
madetheirevolutionintothestateofadultreasonindispensable.3This
viewonthemalleablequalityofchildren’sawarenessofthesurrounding
worldfounditsreflectioninthemedievalnotionsofchildhood:children
werethenenvisagedasnotonlyphysicallyweak,butalsodevoidofrea-
son.4Nevertheless,suchcharacteristicsdidnotrendertheminnocentin
thespiritualsense,asStAugustineinsistedinhisConfessions.If,ac-
cordingtotheChurchFather,“theweakness…ofinfantlimbs,notits
will,isitsinnocence”,thennewbornbabiesareonlyphysicallyinnocent,
whichindicatestheirvulnerability.5Still,theyhavetoundergopurifica-
tionthroughbaptism,astheyarenotimpeccable.Inthecourseofthechil-
dren’slivestheirnaturehastobeimprovedbynurture,sinceonlyinthat
waycantheybecomegoodChristians.Thereforeitmaybepostulatedthat
thenegativeattitudetochildhood,asisobservableinthemedievalculture
alongsideamorepositiveviewonit,originatedinantiquity.
ThisstudyofmonstrouschildreninMiddleEnglishliteraturecould
beperceivedasanattempttoaccountfortheambivalentimageofchild-
hoodintheMiddleAges.Focusingonthoseliteraryrepresentations,the
considerationsbelowmayconstituteasmallpartofthemoreall-inclusive
projectthatMaryMcLaughlindefinedasthe“DiscoveryofChildhood”.6
Particularlythenegative,frequentlymonstrous,representationsofchil-
2Aristotle,NicomacheanEthics,trans.DavidRoss(OxfordandNewYork:Oxford
UniversityPress,1980),p.53.
3Ibidem.
4DorisDesclaisBerkvam,EnfanceetmaternitédanslalittératurefrançaisedesXIIe
etXIIIesiècles(Paris:LibrairieHonoréChampion,1981),p.138.
5TheConfessionsofStAugustine,trans.EdwardB.Pusey(NewYork,London:Col-
lierBooks,CollierMacmillanPublishers,1961),p.15.
6MaryMartinMcLaughlin,“SurvivorsandSurrogates:ChildrenandParentsfrom
theNinthtotheThirteenthCenturies”in:TheHistoryofChildhood,ed.LloyddeMause
(London:SouvenirPress,1974),pp.1081181.
