The Exotic in the Later Middle Ages: Recent Critical Approaches

This review of scholarly literature highlights recent methodological approaches to the problem of late medieval exoticism as viewed from both historical and postmodernist perspectives. Different identifications and functions of outside culture groups, imaginary beings, and attributes defined as exotic by Western Christian authors and artists are considered in light of related critical issues, including alterity, the body, monstrosity, identity, marginality, and gender. The review ends by posing a series of questions that suggest some possible paths for future research and teaching.