David Williams (1939–2015) was an expert on

Medieval literature Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (that is, the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. AD 500 to the beginning of t ...

, as well as a college professor and department chair at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. He has authored several books.

Deformed Discourse

Williams's book ''Deformed Discourse: The Function of the Monster in Mediaeval Thought and Literature'' won the 1997 Raymond Klibansky Prize. In the book, "Williams explores the concept of monsters in the Middle Ages by examining its theological and philosophical roots and its symbolic function in mediaeval art and literature." This large book was a logical follow-up to his smaller 1982 book, ''Cain and Beowulf: A Study in Secular Allegory'', which draws on and elucidates the

Cain tradition In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain ''Qayīn'', in pausa ''Qāyīn''; gr, Κάϊν ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl / Qāyīn and Abel ''Heḇel'', in pausa ''Hāḇel''; gr, Ἅβελ ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābī ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, David 1939 births 2015 deaths Canadian medievalists