Class
Article
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
English Department
Faculty Mentor
Christine Cooper-Rompato
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
This project examines the influence of Mary Magdalene on Margery Kempe in the fifteenth-century autobiography The Book of Margery Kempe. First, I explore the evolution of the Mary Magdalene story from antiquity to the Middle Ages, tracking her appearances in the New Testament Gospels and looking at her entry in Jacobus de Voragine’s thirteenth-century anthology of saints’ lives, The Golden Legend. After establishing what the Mary Magdalene story looked like by the Late Middle Ages, I compare Magdalene’s story with Kempe’s experiences in her Book. Most significantly, Kempe positions herself as a penitent sinner, redeemed from her lust, much in the same way Magdalene was depicted as a reformed prostitute who went on to do great good. Kempe casts herself as a Magdalene figure in her mystical visions; her vision of Christ’s resurrection, for example, makes her a witness to the resurrection like Mary Magdalene. Other similarities between Kempe and Magdalene are also considered, including the marital imagery used in Magdalene liturgy and Kempe’s Book, the role of tears and weeping, and finding redemption at Christ’s feet. However, I note that Kempe is not just a carbon copy of Magdalene and analyze the ways Kempe updates Magdalene’s story to better reflect her experiences as a medieval woman. Where Mary Magdalene was able to freely preach, Kempe is banned from preaching as a medieval woman and only “preaches” of Christ when she is put on trial for heresy. Kempe’s autobiography also diverges from the Magdalene legend in her travels. Mary Magdalene in the legends is largely stationary, while Kempe travels to multiple places as a means of displaying her devotion. Kempe emerges as a thoroughly medieval version of Mary Magdalene, deeply inspired by the saint while also capable of adjusting the story for her specific time and place. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 12-1 p.m. Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83570709111?pwd=dGpYQzZvT3dqdHdGNjMzaVZ3QnFLUT09
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-10-2021 12:00 AM
Included in
Margery Kempe as the Medieval Magdalene in the Book of Margery Kempe
Logan, UT
This project examines the influence of Mary Magdalene on Margery Kempe in the fifteenth-century autobiography The Book of Margery Kempe. First, I explore the evolution of the Mary Magdalene story from antiquity to the Middle Ages, tracking her appearances in the New Testament Gospels and looking at her entry in Jacobus de Voragine’s thirteenth-century anthology of saints’ lives, The Golden Legend. After establishing what the Mary Magdalene story looked like by the Late Middle Ages, I compare Magdalene’s story with Kempe’s experiences in her Book. Most significantly, Kempe positions herself as a penitent sinner, redeemed from her lust, much in the same way Magdalene was depicted as a reformed prostitute who went on to do great good. Kempe casts herself as a Magdalene figure in her mystical visions; her vision of Christ’s resurrection, for example, makes her a witness to the resurrection like Mary Magdalene. Other similarities between Kempe and Magdalene are also considered, including the marital imagery used in Magdalene liturgy and Kempe’s Book, the role of tears and weeping, and finding redemption at Christ’s feet. However, I note that Kempe is not just a carbon copy of Magdalene and analyze the ways Kempe updates Magdalene’s story to better reflect her experiences as a medieval woman. Where Mary Magdalene was able to freely preach, Kempe is banned from preaching as a medieval woman and only “preaches” of Christ when she is put on trial for heresy. Kempe’s autobiography also diverges from the Magdalene legend in her travels. Mary Magdalene in the legends is largely stationary, while Kempe travels to multiple places as a means of displaying her devotion. Kempe emerges as a thoroughly medieval version of Mary Magdalene, deeply inspired by the saint while also capable of adjusting the story for her specific time and place. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 12-1 p.m. Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83570709111?pwd=dGpYQzZvT3dqdHdGNjMzaVZ3QnFLUT09