Search

Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more: https://www.cambridge.org/universitypress/about-us/news-and-blogs/cambridge-university-press-publishing-update-following-technical-disruption

Skip to main content Accessibility help

Home
Search

Only show content I have access to (0)

Chapters (1)

Last 3 years (1)

From year:

To year:

Apply

Literature (1)

woman-centred

Cambridge University Press (1)

View selected items
Save to my bookmarks
Export citations
Download PDF (zip)
Save to Kindle
Save to Dropbox
Save to Google Drive
Save content to
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to .

To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Please be advised that item(s) you selected are not available.
You are about to save
Your Kindle email address

Please provide your Kindle email.

@free.kindle.com @kindle.com (service fees apply)

By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services

1 results

Chapter 19 - Julian of Norwich
from V - Women as Authors
- By Barry Windeatt
Edited by Corinne Saunders, Durham University, Diane Watt, University of Surrey
Book:

Women and Medieval Literary Culture

Published online:

28 July 2023

Print publication:

17 August 2023, pp 400-419
- Chapter
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation
Summary

This essay explores the insights into female authorship offered by Julian of Norwichߣs Revelations of Divine Love. While we know very little of this figure, external evidence clearly identifies her as an anchoress celebrated for her holiness and spiritual guidance, and she is the first woman writer to use English who can be identified. Windeatt explores the distinctive witnesses to medieval womenߣs literary culture offered by the two extant texts of the Revelations. The shorter version, almost certainly earlier, is explicit about its female authorship, but reflects no particularly female approach. The longer version, by contrast, suppresses reference to female authorship but develops a uniquely woman-centred exposition of deep theological sophistication that suggests extensive learning. The afterlife of Julianߣs Revelations sustains the process of editing, as the short text finds its way into an anthology while excerpts of the Long Text are woven into a florilegium probably for nuns, whilst post-medieval communities of nuns ensure the survival of Julianߣs book.