The fifteenth-century scholar and Augustinian friar John Capgrave took as his subject the virgin martyr Katherine of Alexandria, who was an anomalous cultural icon, a scholar, and a sovereign whose story unsettled traditional gender stereotypes yet was widely popular throughout Western Europe. Capgrave's "Life of Saint Katherine of Alexandria "(ca. 1445) stands out among the hundreds of surviving vernacular and Latin narrations about the saint by its intricate plotting, its moral complexity, its obtrusive Chaucerian narrator, and its attention to psychology, history, and theology. The "Life of Saint Katherine"""is a bold literary experiment that transforms the genre of the saint's life by infusing it with conventions and techniques more often associated with chronicles, mystery plays, fabliaux, and romances.In Capgrave's hands, Katherine emerges as a sensitive and studious young woman torn between social responsibilities and personal desires. Her story unfolds in a vividly realized world of political turmoil and religious repression that, as Capgrave's readers were bound to suspect, had everything to do with the England they inhabited and its recent past. Katherine's debate with her lords anticipates arguments for and against female rule that would be made in Tudor England, when the ascensions of Mary I and then Elizabeth I made gynecocracy a political reality, while her debate with the philosophers is a daring exercise in vernacular theology that flouts the censorship then current. Winstead's translation--the first into idiomatic modern English--brings to life Capgrave's sharply drawn characters, compelling plot, and complex, unsettling moral. Its promotion of an informed, intellectualized Christianity during a period known for censorship and repression illuminates the struggle over the definition of orthodoxy that was excited by the perceived threat of Lollard heresy during the fifteenth century. This volume also includes an appendix with passages of Capgrave's original Middle English and literal translations into modern English, providing a valuable tool for teachers and students.

"Karen A. Winstead's translation of Capgrave's "Life of Saint Katherine"is extremely well done. The text is elegantly simple, nuanced, and serious in tone; graced as well with an excellent introduction and complete bibliography of Katherine materials, Winstead's edition is sure to inspire students to pursue further studies in Middle English." --Maura Nolan, University of California, Berkeley"Capgrave's work deserves a larger audience than it currently has. "The Life of Saint Katherine of Alexandria"is a lively and amusing work that intersects with may aspects of late medieval culture and history: it addresses important questions related to gender, theology, pedagogy, family relations, religious institutions, and political power. I can envision many uses for Winstead's translation in the contemporary college and university classroom." --Theresa Coletti, University of Maryland

John Capgrave (1393 1464) was the Prior of Bishop's Lynn, and the most learned Augustinian friar of his time. Although he was the author of forty-one scholarly works, only twelve survive. This work was dedicated to King Henry VI and chronicles the lives of other great Henries, including six emperors of Germany and six kings of England (including the dedicatee himself). Largely compilations of other sources, his extensive accounts demonstrate the breadth of the scholarship for which he was known. This annotated edition was commissioned as part of the Rolls Series, a project designed, in an early campaign for ease of access to scholarly material, to put more historical sources into print. Edited by F. C. Hingeston and first published in 1858, it includes Capgrave's full Latin text and a glossary, thorough biographical notes, and chapter-by-chapter summaries, offering a useful resource for students of medieval history.

One of the most prolific scholars of his time, John Capgrave (1393 1464) was the author of forty-one historical and theological texts. Today, only twelve survive, and only seven are in English. This work covers the history of the world from the creation of Adam to the year 1417. Beginning with a timeline of Biblical events, including the birth of Cain and the first example of bigamy, he covers Roman myth and history before continuing into accounts of early English monarchs and saints. This scholarly edition, first published in 1858, includes a biography of Capgrave, an introduction to the text and a transcript of The Chronicle. Comprehensive annotations detail points of interest from the manuscript, such as corrections and scribal errors, accompanied by the editor's own marginal notes. Of interest to students of history, this book opens a fascinating window into both early modern and Victorian historiography.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1858 Edition.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1893 Edition.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1910 Edition.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

1910. Capgrave, learned traveler and friar of Lynn in Norfolk, was an indefatigable student, and reputed to be the best known man of letters of his time. His reputation came from the greater part of his works which are theological: sermons, commentaries and lives of saints. A noble gentlewoman begged Capgrave to write St. Augustine for her; St. Gilbert was translated in the same form, save some additions, at the prayer of Nicholas Reysby, Master of the order of St. Gilbert and designed for the anchoresses of that order. Capgrave appends a translated summary of his sermon on the various Augustinian orders, preached in Cambridge, 1422, but revised later, for Reysby and others who wished to know diffusely of the subject. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

1893. With forewords by F.J. Furnivall. Capgrave, learned traveler and friar of Lynn in Norfolk, was an indefatigable student, and reputed to be the best known man of letters of his time. His reputation came from the greater part of his works which are theological: sermons, commentaries and lives of saints. John Capgrave's life of Saint Katherine of Alexandria belongs to the most popular genre of medieval narrative: hagiography, or writings about the saints. It tells the story of Katherine of Alexandria who portrays a young woman in Egypt in the early fourth century, and when required to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods, protesting to the Emperor Maxentius that he cease his idolatry and persecution of the Christians, and turn instead to the one true God. His version of Katherine's story is counted among the richest in the genre. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!