Corporeal Creations: Bodily Figurations of Creativity (Online Workshop)
From John Gower’s account of Robert Grosseteste’s construction of a talking head to George Herbert’s depiction of the heart as a place for divine encounters; from Ben Jonson’s pride in his literary offspring to Victor Frankenstein’s horrified reaction to the physical reality of his own creation, creativity has long been thought of in bodily terms. Imagery centered on the human body – and, frequently, on its procreative propensities – serves to configure the relationship between creator and creation or to describe interpersonal exchange and mutual dependence; bodily metaphors are useful both in celebrating human achievements and castigating Promethean pride and solipsistic self-involvement.