Characters of authority: Women, exemplary texts, and emulation in late medieval England

Hwanhee Park, Purdue University

Abstract

This dissertation argues that outwardly manifest traits form characters of authority that can establish an individual's credibility as speakers in public discourse. The idea that outward conduct, traits, and words can be a means to build a publicly authoritative persona is particularly important for women in late medieval England partaking in religious discourse, because the social tension surrounding orthodoxy and preaching provided for women a potentially hostile atmosphere to speak of religion and devotion in a public platform. Emulating the characters of sanctity and authority depicted in exemplary texts, women establish for themselves credible personae as speakers. Focusing on Ancrene Wisse, Geoffrey Chaucer's Prioress and the Second Nun in the Canterbury Tales, John Lydgate's Life of Our Lady, Julian of Norwich's A Revelation of Love, and Margery Kempe's The Book of Margery Kempe, this study argues that the female personae of the above works are are rendered authoritative through characters they demonstrate, which are seen as acceptable manifestation of devotional authority. In so doing, this dissertation contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the formation of self and authority in the Middle Ages.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Hughes, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Medieval literature

COinS