Female Devotion and Textile Imagery in Medieval English Literature

Female Devotion and Textile Imagery in Medieval English Literature

Author: Anna McKay

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 2024-03-05

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1843847132

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Uncovers the female voices, lived experiences, and spiritual insights encoded by the imagery of textiles in the Middle Ages.For millennia, women have spoken and read through cloth. The literature and art of the Middle Ages are replete with images of women working cloth, wielding spindles, distaffs, and needles, or sitting at their looms. Yet they have been little explored. Drawing upon the burgeoning field of medieval textile studies, as well as contemporary theories of gender, materiality, and eco-criticism, this study illustrates how textiles provide a hermeneutical alternative to the patriarchally-dominated written word. It puts forward the argument that women's devotion during this period was a "fabricated" phenomenon, a mode of spirituality and religious exegesis expressed, devised, and practised through cloth. Centred on four icons of female devotion (Eve, Mary, St Veronica, and - of course - Christ), the book explores a broad range of narratives from across the rich tapestry of medieval English literature, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.ture, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.ture, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.ture, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.


Book Synopsis Female Devotion and Textile Imagery in Medieval English Literature by : Anna McKay

Download or read book Female Devotion and Textile Imagery in Medieval English Literature written by Anna McKay and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2024-03-05 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Uncovers the female voices, lived experiences, and spiritual insights encoded by the imagery of textiles in the Middle Ages.For millennia, women have spoken and read through cloth. The literature and art of the Middle Ages are replete with images of women working cloth, wielding spindles, distaffs, and needles, or sitting at their looms. Yet they have been little explored. Drawing upon the burgeoning field of medieval textile studies, as well as contemporary theories of gender, materiality, and eco-criticism, this study illustrates how textiles provide a hermeneutical alternative to the patriarchally-dominated written word. It puts forward the argument that women's devotion during this period was a "fabricated" phenomenon, a mode of spirituality and religious exegesis expressed, devised, and practised through cloth. Centred on four icons of female devotion (Eve, Mary, St Veronica, and - of course - Christ), the book explores a broad range of narratives from across the rich tapestry of medieval English literature, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.ture, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.ture, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.ture, from the fields of Piers Plowman to the late medieval Morte D'arthur; the devotions of Margery Kempe to the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich; Gervase of Tilbury's fabulous Otia Imperialia to the anchoritic guidance literature of the Middle Ages; and the innumerable (and oft-forgotten) lives of Christ, prayers, legends, and miracle tales in between.


Premodern Masculinities in Transition

Premodern Masculinities in Transition

Author: Konrad Eisenbichler

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 2024-03-26

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1837651701

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Sheds new light on how masculinity was understood, lived, performed and viewed during a period of huge change. Premodern masculinity was multivalent and dynamic, a series of intersecting, conflicting, and mutating identities that nevertheless were distinct and recognizable to people and their societies. The articles collected here examine a variety of means by which masculinity was constructed, deconstructed, and transformed across time, geographies, and cultures. Articles range across the twelfth to seventeenth century, from western Europe to the Volga-Ural region, from the Christian west to the Muslim east, from Ottomans to Mongols and Persians, from Baudri of Bourgueil to Blaise de Monluc; while topics include the chivalric hero, the effeminate man, beards, and spurs, represented variously in literature, historical documents, and art. Finally, in that period of great transformation that is the sixteenth century, they show how masculinity moved away from the traditional and recognizable to become something different and distinct from its premodern expressions.


Book Synopsis Premodern Masculinities in Transition by : Konrad Eisenbichler

Download or read book Premodern Masculinities in Transition written by Konrad Eisenbichler and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2024-03-26 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sheds new light on how masculinity was understood, lived, performed and viewed during a period of huge change. Premodern masculinity was multivalent and dynamic, a series of intersecting, conflicting, and mutating identities that nevertheless were distinct and recognizable to people and their societies. The articles collected here examine a variety of means by which masculinity was constructed, deconstructed, and transformed across time, geographies, and cultures. Articles range across the twelfth to seventeenth century, from western Europe to the Volga-Ural region, from the Christian west to the Muslim east, from Ottomans to Mongols and Persians, from Baudri of Bourgueil to Blaise de Monluc; while topics include the chivalric hero, the effeminate man, beards, and spurs, represented variously in literature, historical documents, and art. Finally, in that period of great transformation that is the sixteenth century, they show how masculinity moved away from the traditional and recognizable to become something different and distinct from its premodern expressions.


Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-century England

Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-century England

Author: Kathryn Ann Smith

Publisher:

Published: 2003-01-01

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9780712348300

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"Through detailed analysis of the manuscripts' visual and textual programmes, and by embedding the books within a rich interpretive context constructed from religious and secular literature, sermons, and a broad range of artistic and historical evidence, the author examines the ways in which the three books of hours mediated the devotional experience of their owners and constructed and confirmed their sense of personal, familial, local and social identity. The study explores the potential functions of illustrated books of hours - as vehicles for penitent self-examination, familial and dynastic commemoration and legitimation, and instruction of one's children - and reveals how the manuscripts' contents and design accommodated these functions. This book offers new insights into the issues of female patronage and book ownership, lay literacy, and the roles and uses of imagery in later medieval religion."--BOOK JACKET.


Book Synopsis Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-century England by : Kathryn Ann Smith

Download or read book Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-century England written by Kathryn Ann Smith and published by . This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Through detailed analysis of the manuscripts' visual and textual programmes, and by embedding the books within a rich interpretive context constructed from religious and secular literature, sermons, and a broad range of artistic and historical evidence, the author examines the ways in which the three books of hours mediated the devotional experience of their owners and constructed and confirmed their sense of personal, familial, local and social identity. The study explores the potential functions of illustrated books of hours - as vehicles for penitent self-examination, familial and dynastic commemoration and legitimation, and instruction of one's children - and reveals how the manuscripts' contents and design accommodated these functions. This book offers new insights into the issues of female patronage and book ownership, lay literacy, and the roles and uses of imagery in later medieval religion."--BOOK JACKET.


Addressing Women in Early Medieval Religious Texts

Addressing Women in Early Medieval Religious Texts

Author: Kathryn Maude

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1843845962

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An investigation into texts specifically addressed to women sheds new light on female literary cultures.


Book Synopsis Addressing Women in Early Medieval Religious Texts by : Kathryn Maude

Download or read book Addressing Women in Early Medieval Religious Texts written by Kathryn Maude and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2021 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation into texts specifically addressed to women sheds new light on female literary cultures.


Woman as Image in Medieval Literature from the Twelfth Century to Dante

Woman as Image in Medieval Literature from the Twelfth Century to Dante

Author: Joan M. Ferrante

Publisher:

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Woman as Image in Medieval Literature from the Twelfth Century to Dante by : Joan M. Ferrante

Download or read book Woman as Image in Medieval Literature from the Twelfth Century to Dante written by Joan M. Ferrante and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Women and Religion in Medieval England

Women and Religion in Medieval England

Author: Diana Wood

Publisher: Oxbow Books Limited

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13:

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Nuns and devout noblewomen were sometimes celebrated for their achievements in the literature of the medieval period, but more often than not these women only appear on the side-lines of history, while the ordinary wife and mother is virtually invisible. These papers, written by historians and archaeologists, discuss the religious devotion and spiritual life of medieval women from all walks of life. From an analysis of the architecture and economic organisation of nunneries, to an assessment of the medieval Church's response to the pain and perils of childbirth, these papers consider the influence of the church on the lives of women, and the influence that women had on the life and worship of the Church.


Book Synopsis Women and Religion in Medieval England by : Diana Wood

Download or read book Women and Religion in Medieval England written by Diana Wood and published by Oxbow Books Limited. This book was released on 2003 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nuns and devout noblewomen were sometimes celebrated for their achievements in the literature of the medieval period, but more often than not these women only appear on the side-lines of history, while the ordinary wife and mother is virtually invisible. These papers, written by historians and archaeologists, discuss the religious devotion and spiritual life of medieval women from all walks of life. From an analysis of the architecture and economic organisation of nunneries, to an assessment of the medieval Church's response to the pain and perils of childbirth, these papers consider the influence of the church on the lives of women, and the influence that women had on the life and worship of the Church.


Writing Religious Women

Writing Religious Women

Author: Denis Renevey

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13:

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This collection of commissioned essays explores women's vernacular theology through a wide range of medieval prose and verse texts, from saints' lives to visionary literature. Employing a historicist methodology, the essays are sited at the intersection of two discursive fields: female spiritual practice and female textual practice. The contributors are primarily interested in the relation of women to religious books, as writers, receivers, and as objects of representation. They focus on historical approaches to the question of women's spirituality, and generically unrestricted examinations of issues of female literacy, book ownership, and reading practice. The essays are grouped under four main themes: the influence of anchoritic spirituality upon later lay piety, Carthusian links with female spirituality, the representation of femininity in Anglo-Norman and Middle English religious poetry, and veneration, performance and delusion in the Book of Margery Kempe.


Book Synopsis Writing Religious Women by : Denis Renevey

Download or read book Writing Religious Women written by Denis Renevey and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of commissioned essays explores women's vernacular theology through a wide range of medieval prose and verse texts, from saints' lives to visionary literature. Employing a historicist methodology, the essays are sited at the intersection of two discursive fields: female spiritual practice and female textual practice. The contributors are primarily interested in the relation of women to religious books, as writers, receivers, and as objects of representation. They focus on historical approaches to the question of women's spirituality, and generically unrestricted examinations of issues of female literacy, book ownership, and reading practice. The essays are grouped under four main themes: the influence of anchoritic spirituality upon later lay piety, Carthusian links with female spirituality, the representation of femininity in Anglo-Norman and Middle English religious poetry, and veneration, performance and delusion in the Book of Margery Kempe.


Two Middle English Prayer Cycles

Two Middle English Prayer Cycles

Author: Ben Parsons

Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications

Published: 2023-10-09

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 1580446833

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This book is the first critical edition of two fascinating but overlooked devotional texts. Each shines its own light on medieval faith. The Holkham Prayers and Meditations (ca.1410) is a rare example of female authorship, written by an unnamed woman to guide a "religious sustir." Simon Appulby's Fruyte of Redempcyon (1514) is more popular in aim, composed by one of England's last anchorites to serve his urban community. Both texts are accompanied by extensive notes and introductory essays to aid students and specialists alike.


Book Synopsis Two Middle English Prayer Cycles by : Ben Parsons

Download or read book Two Middle English Prayer Cycles written by Ben Parsons and published by Medieval Institute Publications. This book was released on 2023-10-09 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first critical edition of two fascinating but overlooked devotional texts. Each shines its own light on medieval faith. The Holkham Prayers and Meditations (ca.1410) is a rare example of female authorship, written by an unnamed woman to guide a "religious sustir." Simon Appulby's Fruyte of Redempcyon (1514) is more popular in aim, composed by one of England's last anchorites to serve his urban community. Both texts are accompanied by extensive notes and introductory essays to aid students and specialists alike.


Marian maternity in late-medieval England

Marian maternity in late-medieval England

Author: Mary Beth Long

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2023-10-03

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 152615529X

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Marian maternity in late-medieval England takes advantage of the fifteenth century’s intense interest in the Virgin Mary, the best-documented mother of the medieval period, to examine the constructions and performances of maternity in vernacular religious texts. By bringing together texts and authors that are not often discussed in tandem, this study offers a rich examination of the multiple factors at play as Marian material circulated among experienced devotional readers. Taking a close look at the private devotional reading of late-medieval patrons, the book shows how texts including Chaucer’s poetry, Margery Kempe’s Boke, and legendaries of female saints are saturated with indirect references to and imitations of the Virgin. Marian maternity in late-medieval England employs a matricentric feminist approach to discern how readers’ devotional literacies inform their understanding and imitation of the Virgin’s maternal practice. Attending to internal cues in the texts, to manuscript contexts, and to the evidence and content of readers’ multiple literacies, the author examines Marian maternity as both theological concept and imitable practice. The result is a book that explains late-medieval perceptions of Mary’s maternity and sets them against readers’ devotional, emotional and relational circumstances.


Book Synopsis Marian maternity in late-medieval England by : Mary Beth Long

Download or read book Marian maternity in late-medieval England written by Mary Beth Long and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2023-10-03 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marian maternity in late-medieval England takes advantage of the fifteenth century’s intense interest in the Virgin Mary, the best-documented mother of the medieval period, to examine the constructions and performances of maternity in vernacular religious texts. By bringing together texts and authors that are not often discussed in tandem, this study offers a rich examination of the multiple factors at play as Marian material circulated among experienced devotional readers. Taking a close look at the private devotional reading of late-medieval patrons, the book shows how texts including Chaucer’s poetry, Margery Kempe’s Boke, and legendaries of female saints are saturated with indirect references to and imitations of the Virgin. Marian maternity in late-medieval England employs a matricentric feminist approach to discern how readers’ devotional literacies inform their understanding and imitation of the Virgin’s maternal practice. Attending to internal cues in the texts, to manuscript contexts, and to the evidence and content of readers’ multiple literacies, the author examines Marian maternity as both theological concept and imitable practice. The result is a book that explains late-medieval perceptions of Mary’s maternity and sets them against readers’ devotional, emotional and relational circumstances.


Women's Writing in English

Women's Writing in English

Author: Laurie Finke

Publisher: Longman Publishing Group

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

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Taking as its guiding emblem Christine de Pizan's metaphor of a city of ladies, this volume refuses to treat the medieval woman writer as an anomaly, a lone genius who somehow managed to transcend the limitations of her sex. It insists that women have always participated fully, if not equally, with men in the creation of culture, even during the Middle Ages, and it examines the record of women's cultural participation in medieval England. Women's Writing in English: Medieval England examines women's writing not only in traditional genres such as poetry, drama, and romance, but in a variety of genres which are often excluded from literary canons including medical treatises, correspondence, and the visionary and devotional genres in which women wrote most prolifically.


Book Synopsis Women's Writing in English by : Laurie Finke

Download or read book Women's Writing in English written by Laurie Finke and published by Longman Publishing Group. This book was released on 1999 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking as its guiding emblem Christine de Pizan's metaphor of a city of ladies, this volume refuses to treat the medieval woman writer as an anomaly, a lone genius who somehow managed to transcend the limitations of her sex. It insists that women have always participated fully, if not equally, with men in the creation of culture, even during the Middle Ages, and it examines the record of women's cultural participation in medieval England. Women's Writing in English: Medieval England examines women's writing not only in traditional genres such as poetry, drama, and romance, but in a variety of genres which are often excluded from literary canons including medical treatises, correspondence, and the visionary and devotional genres in which women wrote most prolifically.