Analysis Of Mandevilles Travels And Bisclavret - 1423 Words

Monsters have always fascinated readers because of their mysterious origins and motives. These strange and unknown characteristics lead us to ask questions and really think about how humans justify their actions and consider what is and isn’t moral. Monsters also help us come to a conclusion about who we are as people in a functioning society. In the works of Mandeville’s Travels and Bisclavret, the authors help us discover who we are to unify us as a community, give us a sense of security, and identifying monstrous qualities amongst people and creatures. In Mandeville’s Travels, John Mandeville tells us his stories of the discovery of the many monsters he finds across the world. Through his stories we discover who we are as people through his monsters. His monsters tell us what we are not, and by doing this he tells us who we are, educated, civilized, kind, and caring people. In Mandeville’s first encounter with a monster, the Melk are described as incred ibly cruel people who take pleasure in murder and making other people suffer, â€Å"There are wicked and cruel folk there too. For they have no delight or pleasure in anything except slaughtering people to drink their blood. And the man who can kill the greatest number of men is the most respected and worthiest among them.†(Mandeville, 134). Through this explanation we understand how bizarre of a ritual this is because no one in their right mind would take such pleasure in taking someone’s life. Not only does this describe