this volume presents contributions about laughter and silence as special forms of court communication in medieval and early modern literature. Laughter and silence question what has been said or confirm it, frame or reflect it. This volume examines various dialogic strategies of laughter and silence; these range from court romances and heroic epics to minnesong and myths as well as didactic and theoretical texts.

Scham und Schamlosigkeit unterliegen unterschiedlichen AuffA1/4hrungsbedingungen: WAhrend die Scham kArperlich sichtbar macht, was das Subjekt verbergen will, erscheint die Schamlosigkeit dagegen als Ostentation. Gemeinsam ist ihnen jedoch der Status der aufgefA1/4hrten und wahrgenommenen Grenzverletzung. Aus dieser handlungsorientierten Perspektive stellen sich die BeitrAge des interdisziplinAren Bandes die Frage nach den unterschiedlichen Inszenierungsformen und Funktionen von Scham und Schamlosigkeit in Literatur, Kunst, Theater und sozialer Kommunikation der Vormoderne.

The series in German medieval studies includes central topics of current research debates in medieval studies and provides a place for groundbreaking research in the field. The series is intended to give international researchers/research teams the opportunity to effectively present innovative surveys and discussions to the scientific community. The series sees itself as a 'young' research forum with a high standard of quality and is therefore also open to excellent degree theses, should they enhance the series.

Is the picaro, the roguish hero of early modern Spanish adventure fiction, a 'real man'? What position does he hold in the gender hierarchy of his fictional social context? Why is the picara so 'non-female'? What effect has her gender constitution on her fictional social context?In terms of a gendered subject, the picaresque figure has hardly been analyzed so far. Although scholars have recognized it as a transgressive and subversive model, the 'queer' effect of the figure is yet to be examined. With regard to the categories of class, generation, topography, and gender, the contributions assembled in this volume explore Spanish, French, English, and German novels narratologically from the perspective of culture and gender theories.