The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Mysticism

Samuel Fanous editor Vincent Gillespie editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:12th May '11

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The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Mysticism cover

This book is an excellent introduction to the individuals, events and currents which shaped medieval English mystical texts.

This book is an excellent, insightful introduction to medieval English mystical texts, their authors, readers and communities. Featuring a guide to further reading and a chronology, the Companion offers an accessible overview for students of literature, history and theology.The widespread view that 'mystical' activity in the Middle Ages was a rarefied enterprise of a privileged spiritual elite has led to isolation of the medieval 'mystics' into a separate, narrowly defined category. Taking the opposite view, this book shows how individual mystical experience, such as those recorded by Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, is rooted in, nourished and framed by the richly distinctive spiritual contexts of the period. Arranged by sections corresponding to historical developments, it explores the primary vernacular texts, their authors, and the contexts that formed the expression and exploration of mystical experiences in medieval England. This is an excellent, insightful introduction to medieval English mystical texts, their authors, readers and communities. Featuring a guide to further reading and a chronology, the Companion offers an accessible overview for students of literature, history and theology.

'The reader is left with a clear sense of both the historical development and sheer mass of spiritual writing and thought in medieval England. Seasoned scholars will learn a good deal from this collection, but it will also make an excellent classroom text.' Choice

ISBN: 9780521853439

Dimensions: 235mm x 160mm x 22mm

Weight: 650g

344 pages