Larissa Zoller, M.A.
CV
| since 04/2020 | Research Associate Medieval Studies (Mediävisitk), FSU Jena PhD Project: “Fabliaux and Schwänke: A Structural Analysis of Bawdy Humour in Middle English and Middle High German Texts” (working title) |
| 2017-2020 | Student Assistant, Institute of English and American Studies, FSU Jena |
| 08-12/2018 | PROMOS scholarship recipient, American Semester Program and Exchange, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA |
| 2017-2020 | M.A. English and American Studies, FSU Jena "Virgin, Mother, Queen: Mary in the Discourse of Medieval English Lyrics and Carols" |
| 2013-2017 | B.A. English and American Studies and German Literature, FSU Jena "Fabliau Humour: A Structural Analysis" |
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Talks and Guest Lectures
- “Cradles, Grain, and Chaos: Humorous Similarities and Narrative Deviations in Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Reeve’s Tale’ and the Middle High German ‘Studentenabenteuer A’” at the Studientag Englisches Mittelalter XIV, 15-16. November 2024, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
- “Humorous Potential, Humorous Structures, and Perceived Funniness in the Middle English Fabliau” (15. Mai 2024), Guest Lecture in the Seminar “The Fabliaux” taught by Prof. Dr. Thomas Honegger, summer semester 2024, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena
- “Paying it off: An Analysis of Humorous Potential in Geoffrey Chaucer's ‘Shipman's Tale’” at the Studientag Englisches Mittelalter XXIII, 17-18. November 2023, Ludwigs-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany
- “Heaven, Hell, and Judgment Day in the Middle English Mystery Plays” (24. Mai 2023), Guest Lecture in the Seminar “Last Things” taught by Prof. Dr. Thomas Honegger, summer semester 2023, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena
- “If I had a shilling…”: Humorous Structures and Perceived Funniness in Dame Sirith and Hans Sachs’ “Der fahrend Schuler mit dem Teufelbannen” at the Conference of the International Reynard Society “Of Foxes and Fish: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Medieval Animal Lore and its Afterlife” 14-17. September 2022, University of Antwerp, Belgium
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Publications
- Zoller, Larissa Pia. “If I had a shilling…”: Humorous Structures and Perceived Funniness in Dame Sirith and Hans Sachs’ “Der fahrend Schuler mit dem Teufelbannen.” Reinardus 35. Eds. Richard Trachsler and Baudouin Van den Abeele. Amsterdam, John Benjamins: 2023, 210-229.
- Zoller, Larissa Pia. “Paying it off – An Analysis of Humorous Potential in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Shipman’s Tale” (under review).
- Zoller, Larissa Pia. Review “Andrew James Johnston’s Beowulf Global: Konstruktionen historisch-kultureller Verflechtungen im altenglischen Epos.“ Anglistik 3:2023, 249-251.
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Research Interests
- Vernacular and Religious Literature of the Medieval Period
- Fabliaux and Schwankerzählung
- Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
- Mystery and Miracle Plays
- Medieval Lyrics
- Modern Adaptations
- Interdisciplinary Approaches
- Humour Theory
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Teaching
Middle English Lyrics (WiSe 21/22, WiSe 23/24)
Medieval lyrics are numerous and include a number of secular and religious themes (such as love, lust, honour, faith, and death), which makes them a cross-section of the best medieval literature has to offer. Even though the lyrics dominated medieval English culture, they have received significantly less attention and praise in academic research than other forms of Middle English literature. In this class, we will explore the different thematic and stylistic aspects of this genre, and discuss why the lyrics deserve more attention than they have received from literary researchers in the past.
Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (SoSe 21, SoSe 23, SoSe 25)
In this course we will read and discuss Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, arguably the most influential work of the father of English literature. Reading the Middle English book in its entirety will not only help us gain an insight into the diversity of medieval culture and characters displayed in the Tales, it will furthermore offer a unique opportunity to observe and understand the complexity of this narrative.
Mystery Plays and Miracle Plays (WiSe 20/21)
Religion and the Church were highly influential in everyday medieval life and constitute core elements that have to be considered when dealing with the medieval period in general and medieval literature in particular. In an attempt to make the biblical texts available to believers, they were not only read out in sermons, but they were also turned into plays performed in public places; a tradition still popular in Great Britain today. While first records of religious plays and tableaux in sacred services can be found as early as the 5th century, religious drama in medieval England flourished between the 9th and 17th century. In this course we will explore how the mystery and miracle plays shaped the medieval period while being shaped by medieval belief and society. We will read, discuss, and analyse texts from the Fall of Lucifer to the Last Judgment and everything in between, taken from the Chester cycle, the Towneley plays, and the York cycle, as well as some shorter works.
The Middle English Fabliau (SoSe 20, SoSe 22, SoSe 24)
A focus on the aspects of love often left out by medieval romances and the crossing of the borders of social conventions lie at the heart of the fabliaux. By breaking numerous taboos, fabliau texts constitute a stark contrast to the established teachings of the Church prevalent in most medieval texts.
In this course central examples of the genre including “Dame Sirith” as well as Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Miller’s Tale” and “The Reeve‘s Tale” will be analysed in the light of their historic context. In order to gain full understanding of the Middle English fabliaux and their context, we will also discuss medieval culture and world views, as well as similar genres that established in other countries (most notably France and Germany) throughout the Middle Ages.Stories of the Bible – From the Medieval Stage to Modern Takes (WiSe 22/23, WiSe 24/25)
The stories of the Bible and the Church in general shaped how the world was perceived in the Middle Ages. In an attempt to make biblical texts available to believers, scripture was not only read out in sermons but these stories were also turned into plays performed for the public. While the tradition of staging these mystery plays is still popular in Great Britain and Germany today, these stories also continue to find their way into modern media pieces. In this class, we will explore how the mystery and miracle plays shaped and were shaped by the medieval period, but we will also take a closer look at how they paved the way for and inspired modern forms of media. So in addition to reading some of these Middle English plays in their original, throughout the semester we will also focus on analysing numerous modern adaptations of these stories, including movies, TV shows, and musicals.