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English 220.301
Topics In Medieval Literature: "The Book of Margery Kempe"
David Boyd profile

TR 9-10:30

Mystic, pilgrim, madwomen, proto-feminist? The complete writings of Margery Kempe have sparked debate among scholars, clergy, analysts, and laity alike. A 15th century woman who, after childbirth, has a vision of God and then pursues this vision relentlessly on pilgrimage, Margery Kempe writes of her life and her times--and of the various struggles in which her visions of beingness were inscribed.  In this class we will read the entire "Book", as Margery called her work, in Middle English and consider it from a wide variety of medieval and modern perspectives. Class requirements: oral reports, teaching segments, class participation, and one 20-25 page research paper.


updated 2006-04-12
 
 
 
 


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Photo caption: Francis Daniel Pastorius, Beehive manuscript, 1696-1865, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania.
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