St. Anselm and the Handmaidens of God

St. Anselm and the Handmaidens of God
Author: Sally N. Vaughn
Publisher: Brepols Publishers
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2002
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

As abbot of Bec and archbishop of Canterbury, the renowned theologian St. Anselm spent most of his career working 'in the world', primarily with laypersons, not in the cloister. His correspondence contains surprisingly many letters to laywomen, only a few perfunctory letters to nuns and abbesses. Anselm wrote to all estates of noble laywomen: young girls, mothers, mature wives or widows, countesses and queens. Vaughn argues that Anselm collected and edited his own letters, which addressed real women and situations, but also represented particular ideals of women, marriage, parents and children, students and teachers; that the correspondence, an artful construct, was almost an autobiography, teaching by word, deed, and his own example; and a lens through which to discern Anselm's views of men and women in Anselm's ideal society. Anselm accords women surprising equality and power, seeing queens as equal to both kings and archbishops, all three primarily as nurturers and teachers, and ideal married couples writ large - social views modelled on past ideals (primarily St. Gregory), but ironically leaping toward new Twelfth Century attitudes of introspection, self-analysis, individualism, and logic and reason in theology, social issues, politics and law. Mothers and teachers emerge as the ultimate Handmaidens of God.

An Anglo-Norman Reader

An Anglo-Norman Reader
Author: Jane Bliss
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
Total Pages: 1044
Release: 2018-02-08
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1783743166

This book is an anthology with a difference. It presents a distinctive variety of Anglo-Norman works, beginning in the twelfth century and ending in the nineteenth, covering a broad range of genres and writers, introduced in a lively and thought-provoking way. Facing-page translations, into accessible and engaging modern English, are provided throughout, bringing these texts to life for a contemporary audience. The collection offers a selection of fascinating passages, and whole texts, many of which are not anthologised or translated anywhere else. It explores little-known byways of Arthurian legend and stories of real-life crime and punishment; women’s voices tell history, write letters, berate pagans; advice is offered on how to win friends and influence people, how to cure people’s ailments and how to keep clear of the law; and stories from the Bible are retold with commentary, together with guidance on prayer and confession. Each text is introduced and elucidated with notes and full references, and the material is divided into three main sections: Story (a variety of narrative forms), Miscellany (including letters, law and medicine, and other non-fiction), and Religious (saints' lives, sermons, Bible commentary, and prayers). Passages in one genre have been chosen so as to reflect themes or stories that appear in another, so that the book can be enjoyed as a collection or used as a resource to dip into for selected texts. This anthology is essential reading for students and scholars of Anglo-Norman and medieval literature and culture. Wide-ranging and fully referenced, it can be used as a springboard for further study or relished in its own right by readers interested to discover Anglo-Norman literature that was written to amuse, instruct, entertain, or admonish medieval audiences.