Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Record Number: 5649 Author(s)/Creator(s): Cestaro , Gary P. Contributor(s): Title: ...quanquam Sarnum biberimus ante dentes...: The Primal Scene of Suckling in Dante's De vulgari eloquentia [In his treatise on language, Dante foregrounds suckling imagery and the importance of the maternal body. This maternal imagery stems from a long tradition of representing the allegorical figure of Grammatica (grammar) as a nurse. According to psychoanalytic theory, the assumed natural primacy of the vernacular as a mother tongue (a native language acquired before Latin) evokes a primal scene of union with the mother (a state that precedes linguistic communication in human development). Nonetheless, the rationalistic male grammarian perpetually struggles to obscure the feminine origins of speech in order to maintain strict gender boundaries. Title note supplied by Feminae.]. Source: Dante Studies 109, ( 1991): Pages 119 - 147. Description: Article Type: Journal Article Subject (See Also): Body in Literature Breast Feeding Dante Alighieri, Poet Developmental Psychology Feminist Theory Grammar Language Literary Theory Literature - Prose Mothers in Literature Nurses Nurturing Behavior Psychoanalytic Approach Psychoanalytic Theory Speech Verna Award Note: Geographic Area: Italy Century: 13- 14 Primary Evidence: Illustrations: Table: Abstract: Related Resources: Author's Affiliation: The University of California at Los Angeles Conference Info: - , - Year of Publication: 1991. Language: English ISSN/ISBN: 00702862

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