Petroff, Elizabeth Alvilda, ed., Medieval Women's Visionary Literature (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986).

Text name(s): The Passion of Ss. Perpetua and Felicitas; The Life of St. Macrina; The Hodoeporicon of St. Willibald; Life of St. Leoba; Pelagius; Abraham; Of St. Theodora, a Virgin, Who Is Also Called Christina; Scivias; Visions of Elisabeth of Schonau; Life of Marie d'Oignies; Life of Christina of St. Trond, Called Christina Mirabilis; Letters to a Young Beguine; Visions of Hadewijch of Brabant; There are Seven Manners of Loving; Flowing Light of the Godhead; Revelations of St. Gertrude; Testament of St. Clare; Sermons of Umilta of Faenza; Liber de Vere Fidelium Experientia; Book of the Experience of the Truly Faithful; Letters of Catherine of Siena; Confession of Na Prous Boneta; Mirror of St. Marguerite d'Oingt; The Mirror of Simple Souls; Showings of Julian of Norwich; Book of Margery Kempe; Memories of Doña Leonor López de Córdoba; One Hundred Ballads; Christine's Response to the treatise on the Romance of the Rose; Life of Magdalena Beutler; Mary of Nijmeghan

Number of pages of primary source text: 300

Medieval Author(s): Agnes of Assisi Angela of Foligno Beatrice of Nazareth Bijns, Anna Catherine of Siena Christina of Markyate Christine de Pizan Clare of Assisi Doña Leonor López de Córdoba Elisabeth of Schönau Gertrude of Hackeborn Gregory of Nyssa Hadewijch of Brabant Hildegard of Bingen Hrotswitha von Gandersheim Jacques de Vitry Julian of Norwich Kempe, Margery Magdalena Beutler of Freiburg Margaret of Oingt Mechtild von Magdeburg Na Prous Boneta Porete, Marguerite Rudolf, Monk of Fulda Thomas de Cantimpre Umiltà of Faenza

Dates: 200 - 1500

Archival Reference:

Original Language(s): English - Middle English; French - Old French; German; Italian; Latin;

Translation: English translation.

Translation Comments:

Geopolitical Region(s): England; Europe; France; Germany; Holy Roman Empire; Italy; Spain;

County/Region:

Apparatus: Index Bibliography Introduction

Comments:

This anthology serves as an introduction to medieval women’s spirituality and mysticism. It contains excerpts in translation of the most important visionary literature written by women throughout the Middle Ages. In addition to the general introduction, each section of the book has a specific introduction that discusses the themes of the texts presented and gives background information about the women responsible for the texts. The book is divided into the following sections: I. Women in the Early Church: St. Perpetua and St. Macrina II. Holy Women and the Christianizing of Europe: Hugeberc of Hildesheim, St. Leoba, and Hrotsvit of Gandersheim III. Visionaries of the Early Twelfth Century: Christina of Markyate, Hildegard of Bingen, and St. Elisabeth of Schönau IV. New Styles of Feminine Spirituality – The Beguine Movement: Marie d’Oignies, Christina Mirabilis, Hadewijch of Brabant, and Beatrijs of Nazareth V. Beguine Spirituality and the Convent of Helfta: Mechtild of Magdeburg and St. Gertrude the Great VI. Women and Spirituality in Medieval Italy: St. Clare of Assisi, St. Agnes of Assisi, St. Umiltà of Faenza, Blessed Angela of Foligno, and St. Catherine of Siena. VII. Women, Heresy, and Holiness in Early Fourteenth-Century France: Na Prous Boneta, Marguerite d’Oingt, and Marguerite Porete. VIII. Women Writers of the Late Fourteenth Centure – Seeking Models: Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, Doña Leonor López de Córdoba, and Christine de Pizan. IX. Individual and Collective Reformation at the End of the Middle Ages: Magdelena Beutler of Freiburg and Mary of Nijmechen.

Introduction Summary:

The introduction (3-59) provides background information on women and visions in the Middle Ages, discussing why women in particular were open to visionary experiences and the seven stages of a visionary life. Petroff then turns to women and the composition of devotional literature, focusing on themes of autobiography and the discovery of the self, and composition and style in women’s writings. She discusses common themes of women’s devotional writing: virginity, visions, and authority; isolation and alienation; body and sense of self; illness, visions, and virginity. Petroff discusses visionary writing as a way of envisioning and dealing with conflict situations. The introduction ends with a discussion of the content and scope of the volume.

Cataloger: MK