Katherine Storm Hindley (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), 'Textual Magic: Medical Charms in Medieval England'
Abstract:
Katherine Storm Hindley discusses her recent book, Textual Magic: Charms and Written Amulets in Medieval England. Drawing on an original database of over a thousand charms from medieval England, the book explores the shifting use of spoken and written words for healing and protection across the medieval period. The results allow for an exploration of how the healing power of charms was mediated through language, materiality, and physical interaction.
Biography:
Katherine Storm Hindley is Assistant Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Director of the London International Palaeography School; and a Senior Research Associate at the Intellectual Forum, Jesus College, University of Cambridge. She received her PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University in 2017. She also holds an MA (Oxon.) in English and an MSt in Medieval Studies, both from the University of Oxford. Her research and teaching lie at the intersection of medieval literature, manuscript studies, and the history of medicine.