Honored in the Anglican Communion as an insightful female mystic, English-born Margery Kempe never officially made became a saint as she seemed to desire but upon the discovery of her autobiography in the 1930s has become a long studied posthumous voice in the realm of medieval philosophy and theology. However, while it is long claimed that she deserves the title of mystic, Kempe’s mental state has been largely debated among scholars, though madness and mysticism have always been characterized under a degree of fluidity, with the emergence of psychiatry in the 1800s an effort has been made to clearly distinguish the two. However, many theorize that one cannot experience mysticism without a strong exercise in reason. Margery Kempe’s autobiography …show more content…
She verbally distances her reasoned and enlightened self from her past lost and unreasoned self. During this state of madness, Kempe is sure to portray her former self as the victim; afterwards she presents herself as a humble and enlightened victor. In a way Kempe constructs her madness as the first of her many tests needed to ascend to the sainthood she so longs for, not at all different from Christ’s temptation by Satan in the wilderness. When madness is presented this way, there seems to be no cure but Jesus and Kempe is sure to cover this, weaving her fragile mental state of years ago into a spiritual lesson or sermon to be reflected
...such as extreme spiritual austerities can hold their place in history because they mattered to the people who practiced them, not necessarily because they were an agent for driving change. Bynum rejects morally absolutist reconstructions of the past in favour of a more relativistic reading which delves into the imagination and subconscious of the medieval writers themselves. She meets them, as much as possible, in their own milieu rather than projecting modern constructions (such as ‘anorexia nervosa’) into the past where they serve little use in our understanding of the medieval mind. Despite her close work with the Annalist School, Bynum makes no attempt toward ‘l’Histoire Totale’ or some grand narrative of the past, and in this regard the work is most honest, thought-provoking, and definitive for 21st century scholars studying the medieval mind and its times.
Medieval England was considered to be a Patriarchy, due to the serious gender roles which cast men as superior to women. Margery Kempe attempted time and time again to break the boundaries of the gender roles put in place by society. The men in her life tried to stop her, and bring her back to the social norms of what it meant to be a women living in the time period: John Kempe, her priest, Christ etc. To analyze Kempe, it is first important to note what was expected of medieval women; “the classical females are portrayed as vessels of chastity, purity, and goodness” (O’Pry-Reynolds, 37). She was not your typical female; she wanted to break free from the strict expectations of women; “Men and women of the medieval period and medieval literature
the part of the Catholic Church to the challenges it faced. The Book of Margery Kempe
Baron Richard Von Krafft-Ebing, a 19th century German psychiatrist, was quoted as having said, "We find that the sexual instinct, when disappointed and unappeased, frequently seeks and finds a substitute in religion." This may have been the condition of Margery Kempe when she desired to cease all sexual activity with her spouse because of her devotion to God. Instead of performing her duties as a wife, she chose instead to spread her knowledge of God to her community and did so not only in speech, but also in literature. Whatever her motivation for creating such descriptive language, it is evident that her faith in God conquered both her fear of public opinion and the constraints placed upon all women during the period. Living in the 1400s, she steps out of a woman's role and into the territory of a man by living her life publicly, abandoning her position of mother and wife, and recording her life in writing. Fortunately, because she was writing for religious reasons, her work was both permitted and accepted. In The Book of Margery Kempe, she describes her experiences with brilliant imagery, some of which is sexual, all of which is sensual. By using her own senses to portray her spiritual...
How would a woman achieve the role of Saint during medieval times when their visionary legitimacy is questioned? For Margery Kempe, trying to prove herself as a viable candidate through martyrdom is a difficult task. Throughout her story, she is constantly having to prove herself to her community and to the church hierarchy, but it always comes at a cost. Consequently, Margery is ridiculed, taunted, and accused of many negative things, yet she stands firm in her belief that her gifts are real. The physical threats she receives, such as being burned, are all part of her performance. Although these gifts of visions and miracles are questionable, she is able to mold them in order to achieve her spiritual goals. In The Book of Margery Kempe, translated and edited by Lynn Staley, Margery gives the performance of a lifetime by using her visionary gift to spiritually manipulate her community and the church
America, in the early twentieth century, was centered on the Progressive Era. This was a period of unrest and reform. Monopolies continued in spite of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Social problems flourished in the U.S. During the 1910s labor unions continued to grow as the middle classes became more and more unhappy. Unsafe working conditions were underscored by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in which hundreds of female workers were killed. The plight of the Negro worsened, all while women finally received the right to vote through the ratification of the nineteenth amendment. Although this was a turbulent time in America, it was also a time to remember. During this time period, Emma Goldman devoted all of her attention to the cause of upholding the first amendment clause of freedom of speech. The right to free speech is one of the most fundamental American guarantees. However, defining the limits of free speech has never been an easy task.
Sarah and Angelina Grimké’s radical disillusionment concerning racial inequality originated during the earliest years of their childhood. The Grimké sisters were born into a prominent slaveholding family in Charleston, South Carolina, and were raised on a wealthy plantation during the antebellum period. Their father, Judge John Faucheraud Grimké, was a respected lawyer, politician, and member of South Carolina’s exclusive plantation society. As an esteemed and affluent representative of this firmly established social system, John Grimké characteristically owned hundreds of slaves. Thus, the Grimké sisters personally witnessed the evils of slavery as an institution on a regular basis during their formative years. Although most children of
...Christian values in her own way in order to justify her character’s actions, in addition to using religion as a way of explaining what she thinks of herself. On the other hand, Margery Kempe was a woman who took religion to a new level as a result of “supposedly” having very intense visions and experiences with Jesus Christ. The result was a woman who believed that she had more religious authority than an archbishop of the church and who possessed the strength to continue on her path, despite allegations of being psychotic.
Throughout the narrative, the text utilizes the conflict over the crisis of cognition, or the very mystery regarding the Marquise’s lack of knowledge surrounding her mysterious pregnancy, as a catalyst for the presentation of the plurality of opinions associated with the Marquise’s current status in society and presumptions to the father’s identity. In itself, this state of cognitive dissonance prevents the Marquise from making any attempts at atoning for her supposed sin, as she herself is unaware of any possible transgressions responsible for her current predicament. In turn, this separation from the truth pushes the marquise to fall into the conviction that the “incomprehensible change[s] in her figure” and “inner sensations” (85) she felt were due to the god of Fantasy or Morpheus or even “one of his attendant dreams,” (74) thereby relinquishing her subconscious from any guilt. However, despite her self-assurance of innocence and desperate pleas at expressing her clear conscience, the marquise becomes subject to external pressures from both her family and society, who come to perc...
In prehistory, the idea of a mental illness was challenging to comprehend. The people of these ancient times thought it was magical spirits o...
Destiny McMahon Theatre Pickett, A 10 October 2017 Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt was a French actress during the late 1800’s. She was an international star at her time, and made way for many modern-day actresses. She was revolutionary and progressive, hidden behind a well-controlled façade that deceived her critics. Much like her upbringing and lineage, she was controversial and unconventional. Bernhardt proved to be one of the most influential actresses of her time.
Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Prior to the early Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans did not have science to explain natural events so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used as a substitution. They believed in animism, the idea that all of nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human features onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that assumed if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individual by influencing an object that is similar or closely associated to them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers would often imitate the patient's ailments and then model the recovery. Reification also lead to the bel...
Wands are what define being a wizard in the magical world. In J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series it is shown how important a wizard’s wand is, and how it can affect a wizard’s magical performance. The type of wood used, the core and the flexibility of the wand are all important parts in wandlore.
The struggle that consistently conflicts the lives of all people is the inability to make statements one cannot support or a contradictory statement. This issue can be seen and is reflected in the novella, Daisy Miller, by Henry James. The story chronicles the life and the journey of Frederick Winterbourne, an American in Europe that falls in love with a mysterious woman, Daisy Miller. As the novella progressed, the duo would not be together and this caused unrest wherever they went. This relationship was all but perfect and the supporting characters in the novella proved this. They both shared mutual friends that could easily see the rift between the two. For example, their strained relationship was played out by Miss Walker who was in the middle of their escapades.
After the denial and anger begin to fade, she attempts a short bargaining period where she wonders what if. She even tells God to bless her or not "just as You please" (pg. 307), but she would not beg. But even though she attempts to wrestle against the inevitable, there is always a constant reminder. She places her belief in herself only and faults other's credibility, such as Doctor Tappen's, to maintain the illusion now hanging by a flimsy thread.