Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
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Numerous studies of medieval English literature prove that creations of Margery Kernpe and Julian of Norwich are the major vernacular works written by women during this period (Stone, 8). However, they have few things in common; their attitudes and aims reflected in their writings are extremely dissimilar. Julians literary works belong to the mainstream of the classical English mystical tradition, along with such fourteenth-century writers as Walter Hilton, Richard Rolle and others (Fienburg, 132). Margery Kempes work is difficult to place, taking into account the fact that it resembles a spiritual autobiography, but not a spiritual treatise. Though these two intelligent medieval women-writers and their works differ greatly, it may be useful to compare their view of religion and literature.
Though the works by both authors are considered to be autobiographical, Margery Kempe gives us a lot of information about her life, Julian, on the contrary provides us with few autobiographical data (Johnson, 820). All available information about her is contained in “Revelations and contemporary wills”. We only know that she was born in 1342 and when she was 16, she experienced a series of religious revelations and became a recluse at the church of Saint Julian in Norwich (Johnson, 821). In her “Revelations” Julian avoids even the slightest personal references and concentrates on the message of her work rather than on herself, considering herself to be an unworthy messenger.
Margery is different if this respect. She gives no coherent religious truths, however she describes a lot of visions she claimes to experience. Her manner of writing is somewhat random mixture of visions and her own adventures descriptions (Goodman, 15).
The life stories of both writers differ greatly. Margery was born at Kings Lynn, in 1373. She was married and bore 14 children. However after this she and her husband decided to make a vow of chastity. During her life she undertook a lot of pilgrimages to foreign holy places. Margery`s flamboyant behavior often attracted a lot of attention, she was accused by doctors and bishops of heresy. Margery herself claimed that she always refuted the arguments of her opponents by her “wise answers” which the Holy Spirit gave her. In fact, there were cases when her accusers were “smitten to the heart” by her arguments and beseeched her to pray for them (Goodman, 19).
Judging from Margery`s own writings she was a neurotic person, who considered self-glorification to be extremely important. However, she was the embodiment of a pungent wit and disarming honesty, and of course an undoubted belief in the reliability of her visions and spiritual experiences. Some people considered her to be a sick person, some said she was a drunkard; some people snubbed her (Atkinson, 54).
Both Julian and Margery concentrated most of their attention on sufferings and death of Christ. Margery,