Thesis: There are few images, metaphors, or stories that imagine a self that really changes while really remaining the same thing such that there needs to be an understanding of identity that does not force a choice between dichotomies.
I. Three sets of stories that assist in a new way of imagining
A story requires more than mere change
III. Shape and Story, Body and Narrative
Change is the real replacement of something else
Shape matters and gives form to the nature of a being
In Hell, identity does not survive change
In Purgatory, identity gives insubstantial shape, which does not change
In Paradise, change brings out a physical manifestation of what is already within
Dichotomies of nature vs. nurture do not assist in determining identity
Stories help to explore the nature of identity
Bynum, Caroline Walker. Metamorphosis and Identity. Boston, MA: Zone Books, MIT Press. pp. 163-189.
In both Burning Your Boats and The Lais of Marie de France the authors use stories to discuss the question of whether a being with an animal's shape can have a human soul and human sense, or if someone with a human shape is truly human, or merely an animal inside. For the medieval observer, the identity and nature of someone had a lot to do with what they looked like. Additionally, there was the discussion as to whether something that changed on the outside, essentially remained the same, or did its very nature change. In other words, was the constant the human behavior or the animal behavior.
According to the tale told by Marie de France, while a human's body may be changed to that of an animal, which still has animal-like characteristics like barking and hunting, human identity and sense remain the same. The animal skin is merely a skin that hides the true nature of the being inside. In this case, the knight who was changed into a wolf basically remained who he was, recognized friends and enemies (such...