Medieval Gardens: Body, Space, and the Allure of the Locus amoenus

Abstract

In the literary tradition, the locus amoenus meaning pleasant place, is generally deployed and envisioned as a garden that is idyllic, peaceful, and safe. This place is commonly considered to be a space momentarily frozen in time creating the illusion of eternal bliss. The landscape, however, may not be as innocent as it seems as it bears underlying instances of an insidious nature. Although, for instance, the Garden of Eden is apparently an archetypal garden that is deemed to be pleasant, under the seemingly safe and peaceful surface is also a space wherein gendered bodies are tempted to fall from grace. On the other hand, spaces imbued with mystifyingly sinister aspects do not completely transform into a locus horridus (“fearful place”) their functions go beyond being a simple locus amoenus. This becomes even more evident when we reflect on the placement and/or displacement of bodies within these spaces. By exploring the gardens in canonical medieval narratives, such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Boccaccio’s Decameron, and Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls and the Merchant’s Tale, this article analyses the various functions of the locus amoenus with a specific focus on how certain bodies are perceived within these spaces through the lens of spatial theories.

Keywords

• ortaçağ edebiyatı
• chaucer
• bahçe
• beden
• uzam
• medieval literature
• chaucer
• garden
• body
• space