Lynn
Staley, ed. & trans.
The Book of Margery Kempe: A New
Translation,
Contexts, Criticism.
New York: W. W. Norton
& Co., 2001.
A Norton
Critical
Edition.
xxii,305pp.
Paperback ISBN
0393976394.
Publisher's
recommended price £7.95
Margery
Kempe's autobiography
engages the modern reader with its richly textured images of
late-medieval
England - its town life, customs, means of travel, dress, food, and,
most
notably, its observations of the religious rituals that prevailed in
the
author's lifetime (ca. 1373-ca. 1440). Lynn Staley's new translation
does
not modernize; rather, it stays as close to the original Middle English
as possible without sounding archaic. The text is accompanied by
explanatory
annotations, a map of medieval England, and a Kempe lexicon.
"Contexts"
collects
primary readings chosen to inform readers about late-medieval religious
authority, mysticism, and expressions of worship. Included are excerpts
from The Constitutions of Thomas Arundel, Meditations on
the
Life of Christ, The Shewings of Julian of Norwich, The
Book
of Saint Bride, and The Life of Marie d'Oignies by Jacques de
Vitry.
"Criticism"
includes
nine important interpretations chosen to engage student readers and
stimulate
classroom discussion. A Selected Bibliography is also included.
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