ID - 1569314 TI - Authority and the female body in the writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe PY - 2004 VL - 5 SN - 1843840081 9786611949761 1281949760 1846152615 9781846152610 9781843840084 PB - Suffolk Boydell & Brewer DB - UniCat KW - Julian of Norwich KW - Kempe, Margery KW - Authority in literature. KW - Christian literature, English (Middle) KW - English literature KW - Human body in literature. KW - Mysticism in literature. KW - Mysticism KW - Women and literature KW - Women in literature. KW - History and criticism. KW - Women authors KW - History KW - 248.2-055.2 KW - 248.2 <420> "04/14" KW - Mystieke theologie. Mystiek. Mysticisme--055.2--Vrouwen KW - Mystieke theologie. Mystiek. Mysticisme--Engeland--Middeleeuwen KW - 248.2 <420> "04/14" Mystieke theologie. Mystiek. Mysticisme--Engeland--Middeleeuwen KW - Authority in literature KW - Human body in literature KW - Mysticism in literature KW - Women in literature KW - Woman (Christian theology) in literature KW - Women in drama KW - Women in poetry KW - Body, Human, in literature KW - Human figure in literature KW - British literature KW - Inklings (Group of writers) KW - Nonsense Club (Group of writers) KW - Order of the Fancy (Group of writers) KW - History and criticism KW - Women authors&delete& KW - Julian, KW - Kempe, Margery, KW - I︠U︡liana, KW - Juliana, KW - Knowledge KW - Human anatomy. KW - JULIAN DE NORWICH, 1343-? KW - KEMPE (MARGERY), 1373-CA 1436 KW - LITTERATURE ANGLAISE KW - MYSTICISME DANS LA LITTERATURE KW - LITTERATURE CHRETIENNE ANGLAISE KW - MYSTICISME KW - FEMMES ET LITTERATURE KW - CORPS HUMAIN DANS LA LITTERATURE KW - AUTORITE DANS LA LITTERATURE KW - FEMMES DANS LA LITTERATURE KW - CONNAISSANCE KW - ANATOMIE HUMAINE KW - 1100-1500 (MOYEN-ANGLAIS) KW - HISTOIRE ET CRITIQUE KW - FEMMES ECRIVAINS KW - ANGLETERRE KW - HISTOIRE KW - MOYEN AGE, 600-1500 KW - GRANDE-BRETAGNE KW - JUSQUE 1500 KW - Mysticism. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:1569314 AB - The writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe show an awareness of traditional and contemporary attitudes towards women, in particular medieval attitudes towards the female body. This study examines the extent to which they make use of such attitudes in their writing, and investigates the importance of the female body as a means of explaining their mystical experiences and the insight gained from them; in both writers, the female body is central to their writing, leading to a feminised language through which they achieve authority and create a space in which they can be heard, particularly in the context of their religious and mystical experiences. The three archetypal representations of woman in the middle ages, as mother, as whore and as 'wise woman', are all clearly present in the writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe; in examining the ways in which both writers make use of these female categories, McAvoy establishes the extent of their success in resolving the tension between society's expectations of them and their own lived experiences as women and writers. LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY is Lecturer in Medieval Language and Literature, University of Leicester. ER -