Conceptualizing emotional distress in late Middle English medical texts

Abstract

In this paper I propose an analysis of the Middle English vocabulary for emotional distress. I am especially interested in determining to what extent the vocabulary used in medical varieties of Middle English differentiated between somatic and psychological distress and, eventually, between different types of adverse mood states. My research is based on the analysis of the data extracted from the Middle English Medical Texts, which includes a wide selection of medical treatises from c. 1375 to c. 1500. Special attention is paid to the metaphorical expressions of emotional distress in Middle English specialized texts.