The Church as Sacred Space in Middle English Literature and Culture

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Description

This book places us at the heart of medieval religious life, standing inside the church with the medieval laity in order to ask what it meant to them and why. Drawing on a wide range of theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches, it examines the interplay of vernacular literature, ritual and material culture at the centre of parish life. -- .

Reviews

'The Church as Sacred Space is a tour de force. Its overall shape is cleverly conceived and Laura Varnam is to be warmly thanked for not only bringing together a rich plethora of Middle English sermons, miracle stories, treatises, and the record of a church foundation, but also sourcing insights from contemporary architecture, material culture, and liturgy its an invaluable and thoroughly engaging introduction and points the reader to further study by offering a painstakingly prepared bibliography of primary and secondary texts, and online resources.'
A Journal of Christian Spirituality

'An excellent example of the insightful scholarship that emerges from interdisciplinary approaches
to medieval studies... Its engaging prose and compelling insights make it difficult to put down. The book contains extensive chapter endnotes and a comprehensive bibliography. Varnams arguments are well worth
consideration, and its interdisciplinary approach to sacred space makes it a study with a broad academic appeal.'
Journal of English and Germanic Philology

'In this exciting new book, Laura Varnam explores one of the most complex, dynamic, and central spaces of medieval culture: the church. Throughout this rich interdisciplinary study, Varnam urges readers to understand the sacred space of the church as generative and productive, even exuberant.'
Speculum

Author Bio

Laura Varnam is Lecturer in Old and Middle English Literature at University College, Oxford