Hasnain says:

I don’t know what I expected when reading this one, but it was definitely not what I expected. Surprisingly detailed and well researched. A lot of it isn’t easily quotable so I’ll leave the conclusion:

“A multivalent act, both flexible and formal, to kiss in the Middle Ages was to position oneself vis-à-vis another. By binding a legal or marital transaction with a kiss, one emphasized the mutual exchange of oaths and trust. By kissing a shoe or hem of a superior’s cloak, or by planting lips on a cross or Gospel book, one could display deference, respect, and veneration. By deigning to bestow a kiss on a lover, one could subvert mores or gender roles, all the while retaining the upper hand. And there are still manifold categories of kisses not discussed here: erotic same-sex kisses, kisses of homage between a celibate monk and a noblewoman, illicit kisses between those who professed to the religious life, parents’ kisses conferred on their children, &c. The closer we examine medieval references to kisses, the more the simple touching of lips unspools into layered, complicated, and ambiguous practice and meaning—each example more compelling to unpack than the last.”

Posted on 2022-02-25T06:48:52+0000