Authority and the Female Body in the Writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe (Hardcover, New)

An examination of ways in which the writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe were affected by traditional and contemporary attitudes towards women. The writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe show an awareness of traditional and contemporary attitudes towards women, in particular medieval attitudes towards the female body. This study examines the extent to which they make use of such attitudes in their writing, and investigates the importance of the female body as a means of explaining their mystical experiences and the insight gained from them; in both writers, the female body is central to their writing, leading to a feminised language through which they achieve authority and create a space in which they can be heard, particularly in the context of their religious and mystical experiences. The three archetypal representations of woman in the middle ages, as mother, as whore and as "wise woman", are all clearly present in the writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe; in examining the ways in which both writers make use of these female categories, McAvoy establishes the extent of their success in resolving the tension between society's expectations of them and their own lived experiences as women and writers. LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY is Senior Lecturer in Gender in English and Medieval Literature, College of Arts and Humanities, Swansea University

General

Imprint:	D.S. Brewer
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Studies in Medieval Mysticism
Release date:	July 2004
First published:	2004
Authors:	Liz Herbert McAvoy
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	286
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-1-84384-008-4
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > Classical, early & medieval Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian religious experience > Christian mysticism Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gender studies > Women's studies > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian religious experience > Christian mysticism Books > Christianity > Christian Religious Experience > Christian mysticism Promotions
LSN:	1-84384-008-1
Barcode:	9781843840084

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!