Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.L.A.
Degree Name
Master of Liberal Arts (M.L.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Humanities and Cultural Studies
Major Professor
Brendan Cook, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Benjamin Goldberg, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Andrew Berish, Ph.D.
Keywords
colonialism, John Gay, monster, myth, pastoral
Abstract
In The Fable of Acis, Polyphemus and Galatea, John Dryden reinterprets the myth of Polyphemus to reflect early modern perspectives on monstrosity and the natural world. Situated within the context of European colonial expansion, Dryden’s translation and significant additions to Ovid’s narrative capture early modern society’s deepening engagement with the natural environment and shifting views on the “Other,” a figure often synonymous with monstrosity. While much has been written about monstrosity during this period, this study focuses on Dryden’s depiction of Polyphemus as a monster whose ambivalence—rather than distancing him from nature—anchors him within it. Using pastoral motifs and vivid rural landscapes, Dryden connects Polyphemus’ grotesque qualities—his physical deformity, violent behavior, and unreciprocated longing for Galatea—to the untamed, unpredictable forces of nature. His depiction evokes a spectrum of emotional responses: Galatea’s disgust at Polyphemus’ appearance, the humor and pity of his failed attempts at wooing her, and the horror of his murder of Acis. These elements, I argue, illustrate the grotesque in its fullest form, reflecting the coexistence of brutality and vulnerability in the natural world. This reading challenges contemporary theories that see ambivalence as separating monsters from nature. Rather, I contend that Dryden presents ambivalence—expressed through fear, humor, repulsion, and pity—as intrinsic to the cyclops’ identity as part of the natural world. By framing Polyphemus as both a product of and reflection of nature’s wild, chaotic forces, Dryden redefines monstrosity through the lens of the grotesque, demonstrating that these ambivalent qualities do not reject the natural world but, instead, reveal its deeper complexities
Scholar Commons Citation
Stump, Kayla M., "Monstrosity in the Early Modern Period: The Grotesque in John Dryden’s The Fable of Acis, Polyphemus and Galatea." (2024). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10683
