Pilgrimage in medieval English literature, 700-1500 / Dee Dyas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dyas, Dee.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--Middle English, 1100-1500--History and criticism.

English literature.

Pilgrims and pilgrimages in literature.

English literature--Old English, ca. 450-1100--History and criticism.

Christian literature, English (Middle)--History and criticism.

Christian literature, English (Middle).

Christianity and literature--England--History--To 1500.

Christianity and literature.

England.

History.

Christian literature, English (Old)--History and criticism.

Christian literature, English (Old).

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages in literature.

Physical Description:

vii, 288 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK ; Rochester, N.Y. : D.S. Brewer, 2001.

Summary:

The meaning of pilgrimage and its development 700-1500, reflected in contemporary writings.

What did the idea of pilgrimage mean to medieval writers? This wide-ranging survey follows its origins and development through the Bible, the writings of the Fathers, the influences of classical pagan religion and the impulses of popular devotion. It then traces the ways in which the meanings of pilgrimage were incorporated into medieval spirituality and literature, offering fresh perspectives on Old English poetry and Middle English texts such as the Canterbury Tales, Piers Plowman, Pearl, The Book of Margery Kempe.

Contents:

Part I The Origins and Early Development of Christian Pilgrimage 9

Introduction: The Evolution of Pilgrimage 10

1. The Theology and Practice of Pilgrimage in the Bible 12

2. Concepts of Pilgrimage in the Early Church 27

3. The Development of Christian Holy Places 37

4. The Influence of the Cult of the Saints 56

Conclusion: The Meanings of Pilgrimage 64

Part II The Exile and the Heavenly Home: Pilgrimage in Old English Literature 67

Introduction: The Importance of Pilgrimage in Old English Literature 68

5. From Exile to Eternal Home: the Pilgrimage Motif in Old English Poetry and Prose 71

6. Place Pilgrimage in the Anglo-Saxon Church 95

7. The Wanderer and the Seafarer Reconsidered 105

Part III 'Parfit Pilgrimage' or Merely 'Wanderyng by the Weye'? Literal and Metaphorical Pilgrimage in Middle English Literature 125

Introduction: Continuity and Controversy 126

8. 'Place' Pilgrimage in Middle English Literature 128

9. Piers Plowman 145

10. The Canterbury Tales 171

11. Inner Journeys 205

12. Journeying to Jerusalem: An Overview of Literal and Metaphorical Pilgrimage in Middle English Literature 232.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-280) and index.

ISBN:

0859916235

OCLC:

46683543