The relationship between man and cat in the medieval and early modern Low Countries: I. The functional, demonological and imaginery cat
- E. Aerts
Abstract
The relationship between man and cat in the Low Countries between 600 and 1800 can be described in such terms as kaleidoscopic, but also contradictory, problematic and ambiguous. In the early Middle Ages, people - particularly intellectuals within the Church - came to appreciate the useful aspects of cats in their contacts with them, but from the 12th century, they began demonizing the animal. At the same time, in both the literature and visual arts, a symbolic representation was being developed that associated the cat with other negative qualities, such as laziness, vanity, pride, and especially lust.
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