Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Hagiographic literature'

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This dissertation develops on the issue seen as hagiographic literature from the life of Father Gabriel Malagrida which aims to extract an understanding of holiness from the colonial era . Problematizes the subject , with the backdrop of theological reflection , questions such as: What is the cultural context in which the narratives of the life of Malagrida then inserted ? You can establish a hagiographic model of holiness from the investigation of biographies of Malagrida ? What is the relationship that we establish between narrative Matias Rodrigues , Life of Father Gabriel Malagrida and more relevant information about the lives of saints hagiographic work , Legenda Aurea ? The method used is the investigation of literary , biographical and hagiographic literature of life Malagrida and other texts that contribute in understanding the thematic sources. The research aims to contribute to this approach in the valuation of a character of historical importance to Brazil , Jesuit Malagrida . It was found , first, that the current model of holiness has its origins in the medieval conception of Portuguese mother permeates all Brazilian colony . Then proved the hypothesis that an investigation of biographical works Malagrida views from the understanding of hagiographic literature , could provide us sufficient evidence to establish a model of colonial medieval holiness. Finally , we relate this concept to the hagiography contained in Legenda Aurea in order to delineate this paradigm of holiness
Esta dissertação desenvolve-se acerca da questão hagiográfica entendida como literatura a partir da vida do padre Gabriel Malagrida do qual pretende-se extrair a compreensão de santidade da época colonial. Problematiza-se o assunto, tendo como pano de fundo da reflexão teológica, questionamentos como: Qual o contexto cultural em que as narrativas da vida de Malagrida então inseridas? É possível estabelecer um modelo hagiográfico de santidade a partir da investigação das biografias de Malagrida? Qual é a relação que podemos estabelecer entre a narrativa de Matias Rodrigues, Vida do padre Gabriel Malagrida e a obra hagiográfica mais relevante sobre a vida dos santos, Legenda Áurea? O método utilizado é a investigação de fontes literárias, biográficas e da literatura hagiográfica da vida de Malagrida e de outros textos que contribuíssem na compreensão da temática. A pesquisa pretende com essa abordagem contribuir na valorização de um personagem de importância histórica para o Brasil, o jesuíta Malagrida. Verificou-se, primeiramente, que o modelo de santidade vigente tem suas origens na concepção medieval de matriz portuguesa que impregna toda a Colônia brasileira. Em seguida, comprovou-se a hipótese de que uma investigação das obras biográficas de Malagrida vistas a partir da compreensão da literatura hagiográfica, poderia-nos fornecer elementos suficientes para estabelecer um modelo de santidade medieval colonial. E por fim, relacionamos essa concepção com a hagiografia contida em Legenda Áurea de modo a delinear esse paradigma de santidade

Beowulf's contest with Grendel has universally been read as an assertion of heroic agency. Yet as I demonstrate, this purportedly neutral convention derives from the misreading of a riddle design that invites and then disrupts expectation in the accidental denouement of Grendel's self-destruction. As an alternative to heroic misprision, I locate Beowulf's salient analogues in the poetic hagiographies, Andreas and Juliana. Within these poems I demonstrate a distinctive Christian critique, which defines heroic order through its assertion of loyalty to insiders and enmity to outsiders, and aligns with René Girard's anthropology in marking enmity both as a source of social cohesion and instability. I also demonstrate a distinctive "crossover poetics" that switches godly and demonic attributes between the opposed communities. As this crossover design gives rise to tropes of heroic-hagiographic hybridity, it exposes a biblical prophetic distinction between the physical realm of objects, actions, and words, and the metaphysical realm of emotional, ethical, and relational principles--a distinction by which the poem locates the origin of enmity in the idolatrous gestalt of egoistic materialism and the origin of loyalty in the covenant ethos of transcendent affiliation. This crossover design, moreover, functions in rapprochement with heroic culture, to affirm the godliness of loyalty and reject demonic enmity, while also interrogating the idolatrous potentiality of Christian discourse. As an alternative to the instabilities marked within heroic social order, the hagiographies offer a new social order based in a two-fold conception: a Christological model that entails compassion for enemies and self-sacrificing obedience to the covenant ethos, and a prophetic model that resists violent contagion through egoistic effacement, entailed in acts of divine praise and benevolent prayer. Lacking these redemptive disciplines, Beowulf's pagan fictive world nevertheless incorporates the same hagiographic critique, but through dystopian patterns of demonic inversion. Thus, Beowulf synthesizes the cardinal hagiographic elements--the same narrative arcs, lexical patterns, and crossover poetics--in a drama that schools its audience in prophetic discernment: to see the essential, defining reality beneath the surface of human events and to recognize patterns of divine retribution as paradoxical enactments of demonic self- destruction.

This thesis examines attitudes and approaches towards death, as well as aesthetic representations of death, in Anglo-Saxon hagiography. The thesis contributes to the discussion of the historical and intellectual contexts of hagiography and considers how saintly death-scenes are represented to form commentaries on exemplary behaviour. A comprehensive survey of death-scenes in Anglo-Saxon hagiography has been undertaken, charting typical and atypical motifs used in literary manifestations of both martyrdom and non-violent death. The clusters of literary motifs found in these texts and what their use suggests about attitudes to exemplary death is analysed in an exploration of whether Anglo-Saxon hagiography presents a consistent aesthetic of death. The thesis also considers how modern scholarly fields such as thanatology can provide fresh discourses on the attitudes to and depictions of ‘good' and ‘bad' deaths. Moreover, the thesis addresses the intersection of the hagiographic inheritance with discernibly Anglo-Saxon attitudes towards death and dying, and investigates whether or not the deaths of native Anglo-Saxon saints are presented differently compared with the deaths of universal saints. The thesis explores continuities and discontinuities in the presentations of physical and spiritual death, and assesses whether or not differences exist in the depiction of death-scenes based on an author's personal agenda, choice of terminology, approaches towards the body–soul dichotomy, or the gender of his or her subject, for example. Furthermore, the thesis investigates how hagiographic representations of death compare with portrayals in other literature of the Anglo-Saxon period, and whether any non-hagiographic paradigms provide alternative exemplars of the ‘good death'. The thesis also assesses gendered portrayals of death, the portrayal of last words in saints' lives, and the various motifs relating to the soul at the moment of death. The thesis contains a Motif Index of saintly death-scenes as Appendix I.

Though much has been made of Chaucer's saintly characters, relatively little has been made of Chaucer's approach to hagiography. While strictly speaking Chaucer produced only one true saint's life (the Second Nun's Tale), he was repeatedly intrigued and challenged by exemplary literature. The few studies of Chaucer's use of hagiography have tended to claim either his complete orthodoxy as hagiographer, or his outright parody of the genre. My study mediates the orthodoxy/parody split by viewing Chaucer as a serious, but self-conscious, hagiographer, one who experimented with the possibilities of exemplary narrative and explored the rhetorical tensions intrinsic to the genre, namely the tensions between transcendence and imminence, reverence and identification, and epideictic deliberative discourse.

This thesis, which examines episodes from Middle English Magdalene hagiography, argues that Magdalene is represented there as a counter-heroine. It concentrates on the vita in Mirk’s Festial (ca. 1380s); the 1438 Gilte Legende; and Bokenham’s Legendys of Hooly Wummen (completed by 1447). The study contends that Magdalene challenges a variety of hegemonic and patriarchal structures, though her unruliness is typically suppressed by the hagiographers. Chapter one provides context and outlines key terms which run throughout the thesis:subversion, containment and consolidation. The first part foregrounds the thesis’s argument and methodology; the second part introduces the Mary Magdalene cultural narrative; the third situates the thesis in terms of work in related fields. The second chapter interrogates the earliest chronological unit in Magdalene’s medieval biography: the account of her sin and repentance. It argues that Magdalene’s penance represents a moment of containment in the legend. The chapter suggests that the texts, when read as a group, depict Magdalene as choosing to surrender her social, sexual and economic freedoms. At a moment marked by anxieties about changing social roles, the hagiographies endorse a conservative model of social order. Chapter three examines the episodes depicting the Resurrection and Magdalene’s preaching activities in Marseilles. This chapter argues that although Peter’s spiritual authority is emphasized in the post-Resurrection narrative, the subversive potential found in earlier representations of Magdalene’s first witness is never fully erased. It argues, further, that representations of Magdalene preaching allow for readings which align the texts with more heterodox discourses about, for instance, women priests. Chapter four focuses on the scenes describing Magdalene’s years in the wilderness and nightly visitations to a wealthy prince and princess. Whereas chapters two and three argue that the protagonist challenges hegemonic structures in the fields of sexual politics and theology, this chapter argues that the avaricious prince scene presents Magdalene in her littleknown role as a figure of social criticism. The conclusion reiterates the central argument: that medieval hagiography represents Magdalene as an unruly female figure, but that her counter-heroism is frequently contained by structures of her narrative.

Orientador: Haquira Osakabe
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
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Resumo: O Conto de Amam, texto em prosa medieval, em português do século XN, tem sido filiado a duas tradições literárias distintas: a produção hagiográfica medieval e os relatos de navegação da literatura céltica. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo perseguir no texto do Conto de Amam os elementos que justifiquem essa dupla filiação. Para tanto, recorreu-se à leitura de obras que tratassem a hagiografia enquanto subgênero literário distinto e que reconstituissem a imagem do santo medieval. Fundamentando-se no estudo de tais obras, procedeu-se à análise do Conto enquanto expressão do gênero hagiográfico. Num segundo momento, buscaram-se testemunhos dos relatos de navegação célticos, mais especificamente os imrama, bem como obras que focalizassem a cultura celta de maneira geral, para verificar as possíveis relações entre essas epopéias e as hagiografias Conto de Amam e Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (ambas relatos medievais de viagens ao Paraíso Terreal). SeJecionaram-se os dois imrama mais freqüentemente associados a essas duas hagiografias, Navegação de Bran e Imram Mael duin, e realizou-se a comparação dos quatros textos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que, inserido na produção hagiográfica medieval, o Conto de Amam apresenta um santo cuja figura constrói-se sobre o desejo de ver o Paraíso Terreal, o que esse santo consegue "polla graça e esforço queem deus tomou". Ou seja, ele alcança seus objetivos através do milagre da graça concedida por Deus e através de suas virtudes ou esforços pessoais. Por outro lado, o Conto de Amam mostrou-se tributário dos imrama, bem corno a Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis, por desenvolver, de maneira pouco alterada, a tópica céltica da quête da Terra das Fadas, em que os heróis buscavam um Outro Mundo maravilhoso sob as águas do oceano
Abstract: Conto de Amaro (Tale of Amaro), a text in medieval prose, written in XIV century Portuguese, has been related to two distinct literary traditions: 1. the medieval hagiographical tradition and 2. the navigation narratives of Celtic culture. The objective of the present dissertation is to identify elements in Conto de Amaro that provide evidence of this double relationship. For that reason, several works dealing with hagiography as a distinct literary sub-genre were studied in order to reconstruct the figure of this medieval saint. On the basis of the study of these works, Conto de Amaro was subsequently analyzed as an expression of the hagiographical literature. In a second phase of project, research efforts concentrated on the study of Celtic culture in a more general manner, in order to trace possible connections and relationships between these epopees and hagiographies Conto de Amaro and Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (Both of which are medieval narratives of journeys to the Terrestrial Paradise). The two imrama that are most frequently associated with the above mentioned hagiographies. ... Note: The complete abstract is available with the full electronic digital thesis or dissertations
Mestrado
Teoria Literaria
Mestre em Letras

This thesis considers how religious literature represented sickness and disability in Anglo- Saxon and post-Conquest England. Based on Gospel accounts of Jesus's healings, narratives of miracle-cures were highly valued within medieval Christian culture. By analysing a selection of miracle-cure narratives from the main period of miracle writing in England, from the age of Bede to the late twelfth century, this project considers the social significance of such stories. All miracle-cures followed the pattern of a spiritual triumph over the material world, but this thesis focuses on how hagiographers represented human experiences of sickness and disabilities. The first two chapters of this thesis address the conceptual structure of the project. The first explains the two areas of scholarly theory that underpin this thesis. These are the use of narrative sources for historical study; and sociological conceptualisations of bodily difference. The second chapter orientates the case-studies selected for this project in their context. Miracle-cures were recounted in relation to other aspects of the culture of medieval England, most importantly the theology of sainthood and of sin. The remaining three chapters of the thesis provide detailed thematic analysis of selected miracle-cure narratives. The third chapter asks how the spiritual experience of bodily difference was understood. The next chapter considers the physical understandings of a body that was affected by either sickness or disability, and the links between miracle-cure narratives and contemporary medical theory. The fifth and final chapter addresses the representation of social aspects of sickness and disability in these texts, in particular the moralising rhetoric of such texts in favour of community support. This thesis concludes with a discussion of how modern Disability Studies and scholarship on medieval culture benefit from interaction with one another.

Formen und Funktionen des legendarischen Erzählens rücken in den letzten Jahren verstärkt in den Fokus der mediävistischen Forschung, wobei zumeist die Figur des oder der Heiligen im Zentrum steht. Nicht systematisch untersucht worden ist hingegen der Umstand, dass das Erzählen von Heiligen sich häufig mit dem Heidentum auseinandersetzt und viele Heilige gerade durch diese Auseinandersetzung ihr charakteristisches Profil gewinnen. Diese Lücke füllt die vorliegende Arbeit, wenn sie anhand eines breiten Korpus von lateinischen und volkssprachigen Legenden des 13. Jahrhunderts (vor allem aus ›Legenda aurea‹ und ›Passional‹, dazu etliche Einzellegenden auch aus dem höfischen Kontext) nach dem Zusammenhang von christlichen Heiligkeitsmodellen und der Aushandlung des religiösen Gegensatzes zum Heidentum fragt. Martyrium, Krieg und Konversion erweisen sich dabei als grundlegende Formen narrativer wie diskursiver Selbstvergewisserung des Christentums, die im kulturgeschichtlichen Zusammenhang der Kreuzzüge sowie der Neubegründung der Mission eine spezifische Aktualisierung erfahren – ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Bedeutung legendarischer Texte für die christliche Identitätsbildung und die religiöse Kultur des Mittelalters.:1 Einleitung 2 Heiligkeit und Heidentum im 13.Jahrhundert 2.1. Heiligkeit und legendarisches Ezählen 2.1.1 Legendarisches Erzählen zwischen Transzendenz und Immanenz 2.1.2 Heiligkeit zwischen Distanz und Teilhabe 2.1.3 Legenden zwischen imitatio, aedificatio und admiratio 2.2 Heidentum und die Aushandlung des religiösen Gegensatzes 2.2.1 Heidentum als dynamischer Gegenbegriff 2.2.2 Heidentum als Erfahrung des religiös Fremden 2.2.3 Die Dynamik der Mission 2.3 Aushandlungen des religiösen Gegensatzes im 13. Jahrhundert 2.3.1 Formen religiösen Kulturkontakts 2.3.2 Das Verhältnis von Kreuzzug und Mission 3 Martyrium: Sterben für Gott als Glaubenszeugnis 3.1 martyrium – passives Leiden und aktives Glaubenszeugnis 3.1.1 Die Herausbildung des christlichen Märtyrerbegriffs 3.1.2 Das Martyrium als Praxis der Differenz 3.2 Das Martyrium als Glaubenszeugnis in Wort und Zeichen 3.2.1 Die Zeichenhaftigkeit des Martyriums: Margareta 3.2.2 Das Martyrium als Glaubensdisput: Katharina 3.2.3 Verstockung oder Bekehrung im Angesicht des Martyriums: Die Rolle der Heiden 3.3 Heilszeugnis und Selbstheiligung in der Mission: Franziskus 3.3.1 Martyrium und Mission im frühen Franziskanertum 3.3.2 Franziskus als Vorbild apostolischen Lebens und missionarischer Sendung 3.3.3 Franziskus als religiöser Charismatiker in der Konfrontation mit den Heiden 4 Heidenkampf als Glaubenszeugnis? 4.1 Der spirituelle Kampf der christlichen Soldatenheiligen 4.1.1 Soldaten als Märtyrer: Sebastian und Mauritius 4.1.2 Vom Soldaten zum Bekenner: Martin 4.2 militia Christi – Zwischen Dulden und Streiten für Gott 4.2.1 DieVerchristlichung des Rittertums 4.2.2 DieVerbindung von Kreuzrittertum und Martyrium 4.3 Der Märtyrer als Gotteskrieger: Georg 4.3.1 Drachenkampf und Martyrium: Georg in der kirchlichen Tradition 4.3.2 Kreuzfahrer und Märtyrer: Der höfische Georg 5 Konversion: Bekehrung zu Gott und Mission 5.1 conversio – Religionswechsel und Bekehrung 5.1.1 Konversion als Grundmuster christlicher Identitätsbildung 5.1.2 Zwischen äußerer und innerer, einmaliger und beständiger Umkehr 5.1.3 Die Narrativierung von Konversion zwischen Ereignis und Prozess 5.2 Bekehrung als Wunder und Bekehrung durch Wunder: Silvester 5.2.1 Die Bekehrung des Kaisers durch den Papst als heilsgeschichtliche Wende 5.2.2 Adversus Judaeos – Die Aushandlung des religiösen Gegensatzes zum Judentum 5.2.3 Glaubensdisput und Demonstration des Heils im Stierwunder 5.3 Bekehrung durch Unterweisung: Barlaam und Josaphat 5.3.1 Die Buddhageschichte als höfische Konversionslegende 5.3.2 Bekehrung als Erkenntnisprozess: Josaphats Konversion zur Askese 5.3.3 Der Bekehrte als Bekehrer: Josaphats Mission und Anachorese 6 Zusammenfassung
Against the backdrop of 13th century cultural history, the study examines the function of legendary narrative in Christian identity formation. Martyrdom, war, and conversion are the basic narratives in negotiating religious opposition to heathendom. These stories were handed down from the early beginnings of Christianity and specifically updated in the context of crusades and missions.:1 Einleitung 2 Heiligkeit und Heidentum im 13.Jahrhundert 2.1. Heiligkeit und legendarisches Ezählen 2.1.1 Legendarisches Erzählen zwischen Transzendenz und Immanenz 2.1.2 Heiligkeit zwischen Distanz und Teilhabe 2.1.3 Legenden zwischen imitatio, aedificatio und admiratio 2.2 Heidentum und die Aushandlung des religiösen Gegensatzes 2.2.1 Heidentum als dynamischer Gegenbegriff 2.2.2 Heidentum als Erfahrung des religiös Fremden 2.2.3 Die Dynamik der Mission 2.3 Aushandlungen des religiösen Gegensatzes im 13. Jahrhundert 2.3.1 Formen religiösen Kulturkontakts 2.3.2 Das Verhältnis von Kreuzzug und Mission 3 Martyrium: Sterben für Gott als Glaubenszeugnis 3.1 martyrium – passives Leiden und aktives Glaubenszeugnis 3.1.1 Die Herausbildung des christlichen Märtyrerbegriffs 3.1.2 Das Martyrium als Praxis der Differenz 3.2 Das Martyrium als Glaubenszeugnis in Wort und Zeichen 3.2.1 Die Zeichenhaftigkeit des Martyriums: Margareta 3.2.2 Das Martyrium als Glaubensdisput: Katharina 3.2.3 Verstockung oder Bekehrung im Angesicht des Martyriums: Die Rolle der Heiden 3.3 Heilszeugnis und Selbstheiligung in der Mission: Franziskus 3.3.1 Martyrium und Mission im frühen Franziskanertum 3.3.2 Franziskus als Vorbild apostolischen Lebens und missionarischer Sendung 3.3.3 Franziskus als religiöser Charismatiker in der Konfrontation mit den Heiden 4 Heidenkampf als Glaubenszeugnis? 4.1 Der spirituelle Kampf der christlichen Soldatenheiligen 4.1.1 Soldaten als Märtyrer: Sebastian und Mauritius 4.1.2 Vom Soldaten zum Bekenner: Martin 4.2 militia Christi – Zwischen Dulden und Streiten für Gott 4.2.1 DieVerchristlichung des Rittertums 4.2.2 DieVerbindung von Kreuzrittertum und Martyrium 4.3 Der Märtyrer als Gotteskrieger: Georg 4.3.1 Drachenkampf und Martyrium: Georg in der kirchlichen Tradition 4.3.2 Kreuzfahrer und Märtyrer: Der höfische Georg 5 Konversion: Bekehrung zu Gott und Mission 5.1 conversio – Religionswechsel und Bekehrung 5.1.1 Konversion als Grundmuster christlicher Identitätsbildung 5.1.2 Zwischen äußerer und innerer, einmaliger und beständiger Umkehr 5.1.3 Die Narrativierung von Konversion zwischen Ereignis und Prozess 5.2 Bekehrung als Wunder und Bekehrung durch Wunder: Silvester 5.2.1 Die Bekehrung des Kaisers durch den Papst als heilsgeschichtliche Wende 5.2.2 Adversus Judaeos – Die Aushandlung des religiösen Gegensatzes zum Judentum 5.2.3 Glaubensdisput und Demonstration des Heils im Stierwunder 5.3 Bekehrung durch Unterweisung: Barlaam und Josaphat 5.3.1 Die Buddhageschichte als höfische Konversionslegende 5.3.2 Bekehrung als Erkenntnisprozess: Josaphats Konversion zur Askese 5.3.3 Der Bekehrte als Bekehrer: Josaphats Mission und Anachorese 6 Zusammenfassung

Cette thèse porte sur un corpus hagiographique de vingt-sept textes latins d’Afrique du Nord, daté du IIe au VIe siècle. Ce corpus n’avait jamais fait l’objet d’une synthèse depuis les travaux de P. Monceaux au début du XXe siècle. Dans une première partie, tous les textes latins ont été réunis, accompagnés d’une traduction personnelle et d’un apparat des sources exhaustif : plusieurs ont fait l’objet d’une nouvelle édition critique, et un nouveau texte, la recension longue de la Passion de Marciana, a ainsi été découvert. Ce corpus fait ensuite l’objet d’une étude historique. Les deux premières parties étudient ces textes comme témoignages de la christianisation de l’Afrique, vue à travers l’étude du phénomène complexe des persécutions et du martyre. La troisième partie illustre les multiples potentialités du discours hagiographique, qui concourt à faire du martyr un nouveau héros chrétien, héritier du héros païen et du thème judéo-hellénistique du Juste souffrant. La dernière aborde le corpus comme témoignage de la culture littéraire des élites africaines et apporte une contribution à l’histoire culturelle de l’Afrique du Nord et à celle de la circulation des idées et des oeuvres. Elle traite aussi de manière nouvelle la question de l’africitas, selon les méthodes du LASLA de l’Université de Liège auxquelles j’ai voulu soumettre trois passions de Maurétanie Césarienne
This thesis focuses on a corpus of twenty-seven hagiographic texts from Roman North Africa, dated from the second to the sixth century. None synthesis on this corpus had been made since P. Monceaux’s work in the early twentieth century. In the first part, all the latin texts were collected, together with a translation and an exhaustive research of the sources : for many ofthem I gave a new critical edition, and a new text, the long recension of the Passion of Marciana, has been discovered. This corpus is then studied from an historical point of view. The first two sections examine these texts as evidence of the christianization of Africa, through the study of the complex phenomenon of persecutions and martyrdom. The third partillustrates the multiple potentialities of hagiographic discourse, which tends to make a new Christian hero, combination of pagan hero and of the theme of Judeo-Hellenistic Just suffering. The latter addresses the corpus as evidence of the literary culture of African elites and contributes to the cultural history of North Africa and of the circulation of ideas and works. It also discusses the question of the africitas, according to the methods of the LASLA of the University of Liège, methods applied to three passions of Caesarean Mauretania

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Sydney, 2002.
Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 24, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy to the Dept. of Studies in Religion, Faculty of Arts. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Cette étude explore un paradoxe littéraire et culturel : la réécriture de vies de saints chrétiens, historiques ou imaginaires, par des auteurs non confessionnels du XXe siècle (André Gide, Blaise Cendrars, Joseph Delteil, Christian Bobin, Sylvie Germain, Claude Louis-Combet). Quelles variations firent-ils subir au genre hagiographique et à la figure du saint par rapport à la tradition médiévale, représentée au premier chef par La Légende dorée, mais aussi par rapport à la tradition catholique, religieuse et littéraire, représentée par leurs confrères contemporains ? Pour des auteurs empreints de modernité ou vivant à l’heure de la « postmodernité », que signifie ce ressourcement inattendu ?Situé à la croisée de l’anthropologie, de l’histoire littéraire, de l’histoire de la spiritualité et des idées, notre travail analyse tout d’abord les bases d’une hagiographie non confessionnelle, de l’itinéraire spirituel des auteurs à la définition de leur statut atypique, de l’image du saint qu’ils façonnent à l’élaboration d’un modèle de sainteté. La seconde partie évoque les métamorphoses du genre, du jeu subversif au glissement vers la fiction de l’intime et la littérature d’idées. Nous montrons, enfin, comment l’hagiographie cristallise une réflexion sur le statut de l’écrivain, la fonction de la littérature, les pouvoirs du langage et la conception de la langue littéraire
The purpose of this work is to explore a literary and cultural paradox : the re-writings of lives of Christian saints, both historical and fictional, by non-confessional authors of the twentieth century (André Gide, Blaise Cendrars, Joseph Delteil, Christian Bobin, Sylvie Germain, Claude Louis-Combet). What variations did they bring to the hagiographical genre and to the figure of the saint compared to the mediaeval tradition, as exemplified by the Légende Dorée, and to Catholic tradition, both religious and literary, represented by fellow authors of the same period ? Furthermore, what is the meaning of this unexpected return to the origins on the part of authors marked by the modern world or living in a post-modern context ?At the crossroads of anthropology, literary history, history of Religions and Ideas, this work aims first of all at exploring the basis of non-confessional hagiography, from the spiritual quest of the author to the definition of their atypical status, from the depiction of the saint to the definition of a model of sainthood. In the second part, we will probe the metamorphoses of the genre, how the subversive play shifts towards the fiction of intimacy and the literature of ideas. Finally, we will try to demonstrate how hagiography combines reflections on the status of the writer, the function of literature, the powers of language and the conception of a literary language

The Life of St Chad is an anonymous Old English saint’s life and is extant only in Oxford, Bodleian, MS Hatton 116. Saint Chad (c. 634–672) was a Northumbrian monk, missionary, and bishop of Mercia. The Life is probably an Old English translation of a lost, original Latin vita, adapted from Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum with an introduction and conclusion based on Sulpicius Severus’s Vita Sancti Martini. This thesis includes an originally edited edition of the text, alongside a translation and critical apparatus. This thesis enters the debate about when the Old English Life was composed, with the central question of establishing the extent to which linguistic—and specifically vocabulary—evidence can be used to establish parameters for the date of the text and re-evaluating the evidence to date. More broadly, this thesis considers the dating methodologies employed in relation to early medieval English texts, and my approach offers new insights into these. I argue that a reasonable conclusion on the more likely date for a text is possible through employing probabilistic reasoning to analyse certain types of linguistic data, particularly the frequency and distribution patterns of pertinent vocabulary, when supported by the other literary, historical, and contextual evidence. I conclude that it is most likely that the Life was composed by the first half of the tenth century, and probably prior to c. 930. Almost certainly, based on vocabulary evidence, it was composed much earlier than it was copied in the extant twelfth-century manuscript. The findings of this thesis offer a range of insights into the importance of the Life of St Chad in understanding the development of early English prose and continuing literary activity in Mercia after the advent of a West Saxon literary tradition at the end of the ninth century.

This thesis investigates the relations between romance and texts of religious instruction in England between c.1170–c.1330, taking as its principal textual corpus the exceptionally rich literary traditions of insular French romance and religious writing that subsist during this period. It argues that romance is a mode which engages closely with religious and ethical questions from a very early stage, and demonstrates the discourses of opposition in which both kinds of text participate throughout the period. The thesis offers substantial readings of a number of neglected insular French religious texts of the thirteenth century, including Robert Grosseteste's Chasteau d'Amour, John of Howden's Rossignos, and Robert of Gretham's Miroir, alongside new readings of romances such as Gui de Warewic and Ipomedon. This juxtaposition of romance narrative and religious instruction sheds new light onto both kinds of text: romance emerges as a mode with deep-rooted didactic qualities; insular French religious literature is shown to be intensely concerned with the need to compete with romance’s entertaining appeal in literary culture. This oppositional discourse profoundly affects the form of instructional writing and romance alike. The discussion of the interactions between insular French romance and instructional literature presented here also serves as a new pre-history of Middle English romance. The final chapter of the thesis offers several new readings of texts from the Auchinleck manuscript, including the canonical romance Sir Orfeo and the neglected, puzzling Speculum Gy de Warewyk. These readings demonstrate that fourteenthcentury romance intelligently adapts the material it inherits from Francophone literature to a new cultural situation. In these acts of reformation, Middle English romance reveals itself as a discursive space capable of accommodating a wide range of ethical and ideological affiliations; the complex negotiations between romance and instructional literature in the preceding centuries are an important cultural condition for this widening of possibilities.

Aquesta tesi és la primera investigació monogràfica sobre el bisbe de Puebla, Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz y Sahagún (Palència 1637-Pobla dels Àngels 1699). Un personatge clau per entendre el moment literari més alt de la cultura novohispana, perquè al voltant de bisbe van ser recolzades figures importantíssimes com la mateixa sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695). A l'ombra de la gran poetessa han girat la majoria dels estudis sobre Fernández de santa Cruz, qui mereix una profunda reflexió donada la seva rellevància. El nostre treball pretén treure a la llum aspectes no tractats amb anterioritat, mitjançant l'anàlisi del seu hagiografia, Dechado de príncipes eclesiásticos (primera edició en Puebla, 1716) i de l`anàlisi de la seva hagiografía, Dechado de príncipes eclesiásticos (primera edició a Puebla 1716) i del seu sermó funerari escrit en ocasió de les seves exèquies (1699) pel famós autor novohispá José Gómez de la Parra. Un dels eixos principals que seguim en aquest treball és rastrejar les possibles arrels filosòfiques que il·luminen la perspectiva del Dechado de príncipes i de el sermó, així com un probable missatge poc ortodox plasmat en aquestes obres.
Esta tesis es la primera investigación monográfica sobre el obispo de Puebla, Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz y Sahagún (Palencia 1637-Puebla de los Ángeles 1699). Un personaje clave para entender el momento literario más alto de la cultura novohispana, porque en torno al obispo fueron apoyadas figuras importantísimas como la propia sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695). A la sombra de la gran poetisa han girado la mayoría de los estudios sobre Fernández de santa Cruz, quien merece una honda reflexión dada su relevancia. Nuestro trabajo pretende sacar a la luz aspectos no tratados con anterioridad, mediante el análisis de su hagiografía, Dechado de príncipes eclesiásticos (primera edición en Puebla, 1716) y del sermón funerario escrito para sus exequias (1699) por el afamado autor novohispano José Gómez de la Parra. Uno de los ejes principales que seguimos en este trabajo es rastrear las posibles raíces filosóficas que alumbran la perspectiva del Dechado de príncipes y del sermón, así como un probable mensaje poco ortodoxo plasmado en dichas obras.
This thesis is the first monographic investigation of the Bishop of Puebla, Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz and Sahagún (Born Palencia 1637- Died Puebla de los Ángeles 1699). He is the key person for understanding the highest literary moments in the culture of New Spain, because around the presence of the bishop important figures like Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695) were supported and encouraged . In the shadow of the great poetess there were many studies circulating about Fernández de Santa Cruz which merit a deep reflection given his relevance. Our work tries to bring to light aspects not dealt with before through an analysis of his hagiography Dechado de príncipes eclesiásticos (first edition in Puebla, 1716) and the funeral sermon written for the funeral rites (1699) by the famous New Spanish author, José Gómez de la Parra. One of the principal directions that we follow in this work is to search for possible philosophical roots that illuminate the perspective of Dechado de príncipes and the sermon as a probable albeit unorthodox message in these works.

Orientador: Alexandre Soares Carneiro
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T00:00:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maerki_Thiago_M.pdf: 1616067 bytes, checksum: bbf1766d5d4d8f0c4d65216a0767d576 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013
Resumo: A Legenda Maior, escrita por São Boaventura no século XIII, ocupa um lugar central dentre as hagiografias medievais que narram à vida de São Francisco de Assis e foi por muito tempo considerado a biografia oficial do fundador, responsável, pois, pela visão do santo mantida até o século XIX, quando estudos inovadores foram iniciados por Paul Sabatier. Apesar disso, são poucos os trabalhos que se dedicam à análise literária do texto hagiográfico boaventuriano, mais explorado pela História e pela Filosofia, ciências que não deixaram de apresentar recortes importantes sobre a obra. A primeira nos dá suporte para entender o conturbado momento interno da Ordem dos Frades Menores, o qual influenciou decisivamente a construção da narrativa; a segunda nos ajuda a compreender o pensamento místico do autor, influenciado, sobretudo, por Santo Agostinho e a pensar as Vidas de santos enquanto adoção de um "modo de vida" moldado pela ascese. Nesse sentido, procuramos analisar a personagem santoral à luz do pensamento de Pierre Hadot, principalmente no que diz respeito à associação entre "vida filosófica" e "vida cristã". Através de uma leitura interdisciplinar, desvendamos uma maneira específica de organização da narrativa, em que a construção da vida de Francisco é espelhada na teoria mística de Boaventura, narrando o itinerário da personagem em sete degraus de ascensão, partindo das criaturas até chegar à união com o criador, quando ocorre a estigmatização do santo. Para finalizar, analisamos os conceitos de figura, sermo humilis e gloria passionis, largamente explorados por Erich Auerbach, como recursos retórico-literários importantes para a economia da narrativa e para a construção da personagem Francisco
Abstract: Legenda Maior, written by St. Bonaventure in the thirteenth century, occupies a central place among the medieval hagiographies that tell the life of St. Francis of Assisi and was considered for a long time the official biography of the founder, responsible, therefore, for the saint's image kept until the nineteenth century, when innovative studies were started by Paul Sabatier. However, not many papers focus on the literary analysis of Bonaventure's hagiographic text, more explored by History and Philosophy, sciences that presented important views on this book. The former helps us understand the troubled internal situation of the Order of Friars Minor, which strongly influenced the construction of the narrative; the latter lets us know the author's mystical thought, especially influenced by St. Augustine, and consider the saints' Lives as the choice of a "way of life" shaped by asceticism. In this sense, we sought to analyze the holy personage from the perspective of Pierre Hadot's thought, especially with regard to the association between "philosophical life" and "Christian life." With an interdisciplinary approach, we reveal a specific way to organize the narrative in which the construction of Francis' life follows Bonaventure's mystical theory, narrating the character's journey in seven levels of ascension, starting from creatures to eventually attain union with the creator, when the saint's stigmatization occurs. Finally, we analyze the concepts of figura, sermo humilis and gloria passionis, widely examined by Erich Auerbach as important rhetorical and literary devices for narrative economy and for the construction of the figure of Francis
Mestrado
Teoria e Critica Literaria
Mestre em Teoria e História Literária

Vénéré depuis le haut Moyen Âge, saint Fiacre fut l’un des saints les mieux connus en France durant la période médiévale et même au-delà. De multiples textes médiévaux sur sa vie nous sont parvenus, du IXe siècle jusqu’à la fin du Moyen Âge, en latin comme en français. De nombreux manuscrits et imprimés des XIVe, XVe et XVIe siècles témoignent de la circulation considérable des Vies du saint à cette époque. Ces Vies prennent des formes littéraires variées : la légende romanesque en vers et en prose et le drame. La plupart des Vies françaises et certains récits en latin sont inédits. Notre thèse a pour but principal de contribuer à l’avancement des travaux éditoriaux sur ces œuvres en proposant six éditions des Vies du saint de différentes longueurs composées principalement en moyen français et une édition de la Vita rhythmica de 118 vers. Cet ensemble de textes homogène permettra à la critique littéraire et historique de réexaminer la réception et la transformation des actes d’un saint du VIIe siècle dans la littérature française du Moyen Âge tardif. Notre introduction générale porte sur cette question mais s’inscrit dans une histoire plus large du culte du saint tout au long des siècles pour tracer la continuation et les bifurcations possibles d’une tradition hagiographique. Dans les études linguistico-littéraires qui accompagnent la Vita rhythmica et la pièce de théâtre La Vie de monsieur sainct Fiacre filz du roy d’Escosse par personnaiges, nous nous sommes proposé d’observer respectivement les modalités de la versification rythmique du latin médiéval — domaine moins exploré par la recherche — et la relation entre complexité syntaxique, contrainte formelle et simplicité discursive d’un langage artistique sur la scène du théâtre médiéval. La diversité générique, formelle et généalogique des textes que nous avons choisis d’éditer garantit un riche exercice de philologie
Venerated since the Early Middle Ages, Saint Fiacre was one of the most well-known saints in France during the Middle Ages and even afterwards. Many medieval texts about his life, from the 9th century to the end of Middle Ages, in Latin as well as in French, have survived to this day. The numerous manuscripts and printed works prove the widespread circulation of this saint’s Lives during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, in such different forms as narrative prose, poem and drama. Most of the Lives in French and some texts in Latin are still unedited. This dissertation aims to participate in the editing work of these texts. It offers six editions of French Lives which have different lengths and one edition of the Vita rhythmica (188 verses). This homogenous set of texts could make it possible for literature scholars and historians to reconsider the reception and the transformation of a sacred figure of the 7th century in the late medieval French literature. The general introduction of this thesis deals with this concrete question but is also put in a much larger history of the Saint Fiacre cult throughout the centuries, in order to describe the possible continuity and bifurcations of a hagiographic tradition. In the linguistic and literary studies of the Vita rhythmica and of the theatre play La Vie de monsieur sainct Fiacre filz du roy d’Escosse par personnaiges, this work focuses on the medieval Latin rhythmic versification — a less-explored area — and the relationship between the complicated syntax, the formal restriction and the discursive simplicity of a medieval theatre language. The different texts with various generic, formal and genealogical characteristics edited in this dissertation present a plurality of different philological exercises

Ce travail de thèse a pour objet l’historicité conflictuelle d’un objet qui n’a jamais vraiment été étudié d’un point de vue littéraire : la littérature hagiographique de l’époque moderne. En nous séparant de la lecture institutionnelle qui est souvent celle de la critique, nous voulons la dégager de son utilisation comme moyen de contextualisations historiques ou anthropologiques. Au sein des écrits de la période moderne, l’hagiographie n’est pas simplement l’ « autre discours » de l’historiographie, comme le disait Michel de Certeau. Au lendemain du concile de Trente, les biographies d’une candidate à la sainteté comme Jeanne de Chantal (1572-1641, canonisée en 1767) sont l’occasion de réfléchir sur ces nouveaux écrits, qui présentent des structures qui se stabilisent et des éléments topiques qui renvoient à une tradition d’écriture préexistante. Qui sont les auteurs de ces textes ? Dans quelles conditions les rédigent-ils et pour quel public ? Quels en sont les enjeux ? En pleine crise moderniste, la condamnation par la Congrégation de l’Index de la dernière Vie importante de la figure, la Sainte Chantal de Bremond (1912), sera notre point de vue : Bremond revendique paradoxalement une forme de nouveauté par un retour au XVIIe siècle, visible dans la filiation exhibée de son propre texte à celui de la première biographie, les Mémoires de Françoise-Madeleine de Chaugy (1642). Ce geste construit alors, comme malgré lui, une histoire diachronique des Vies de Jeanne de Chantal, dont les mutations en font un « cas » de la littérature hagiographique française et permettent de voir qu’écrire la Vie d’un saint, c'est à chaque fois rejouer ce qu’est la sainteté
The hagiographic literature from the Early Modern Period has never been studied as a plain literary issue. Departing from the institutional reading of a major part of the critics about hagiography, the hagiographic literature must be considered apart from its historical and anthropological contextualisations. Hagiography is not only the “other one” of historiography, as Michel de Certeau said. In the wake of the Trent Council, the biographies of a candidate to sanctity like Jeanne de Chantal (1572-1641, canonized in 1767) allow us to consider these new writings which show newly built structures and topical elements of a former writing tradition. Who wrote these texts? How have there been written? For whom? What were there main issues? Our point of view will be the last major Life of Jeanne de Chantal (1912), convicted by the Congregation of the Index, in the middle of the Modernist Crisis. The return to the first biography of the heroine, the Mémoires of Françoise-Madeleine de Chaugy (1642), is a paradoxical way for Bremond to claim the originality of his approach. A diachronic history of Jeanne de Chantal’s Lives can be seen through this operation. Their mutations make them a “case” of French hagiographical Literature: writing the Life of a saint is always defining what is sanctity again

This thesis explores the relationship between Creation and the saints Cuthbert and Guthlac in their Anglo-Latin and Old English vitae. It argues that this relationship is best understood through received theological exegesis concerning Creation's present state in the postlapsarian world. The exegesis has its foundation in Augustine's interpretations of the Genesis narrative, though it enters the textual tradition of the vitae via an adapted portion of De Genesi contra Manichaeos in Bede's metrical Vita Sancti Cuthberti (VCM). Both Augustine and Bede argue, with slight differences, that fallen Creation can be restored into prelapsarian harmony with humanity by way of sanctity. Each individual vita engages with this understanding of the Fall in distinct, though ultimately interrelated, ways, and the chapters of this thesis will therefore explore each text individually. Chapter 1 argues that the anonymous Vita Sancti Cuthberti (VCA) unites Cuthbert's ability to restore Creation with the theme of monastic obedience, linking the ordering of a monastery to the restoration of prelapsarian harmony. The VCA also seeks to create sites for potential lay pilgrimage in the landscapes of Farne and Lindisfarne by highlighting the present efficacy of Cuthbert's miracles. Chapter 2 argues that Bede's VCM not only reveals his early attempt to fashion Cuthbert into the primary saint for Britain, via a focus on Cuthbert's obedience to the Divine Office, but also that the restoration of Creation functions as a ruminative tool. Chapter 3 argues that Bede transforms the nature of Cuthbert's sanctity in his prose Vita Sancti Cuthberti (VCP) from static to developmental, influenced by the Evagrian Vita Antonii, and that Creation is adapted to function as the impetus for, and evidence of, Cuthbert's progression. Chapter 4 argues that Felix's Vita Sancti Guthlaci (VSG) unites the development of Guthlac with a physically delineated Creation, and that the restoration of Creation is elevated to an even greater degree here than in Bede's hagiography. Chapter 5 argues that the author of the Old English Prose Guthlac (OEPG) grounds his vita by utilizing a landscape lexis shared with contemporary boundary clauses, so that here the relationship between the saint and Creation has greater force; it further argues that Guthlac A uniquely connects Guthlac with the doctrine of replacement, consolidating links between his arrival to the eremitic space and the restoration of prelapsarian Eden.

My thesis examines the function and development of the cult of saints in Coptic Egypt. For this purpose I focus primarily on the material provided by the texts forming the Coptic hagiographical tradition of the early Christian martyr Philotheus of Antioch, and more specifically - the Martyrdom of St Philotheus of Antioch (Pierpont Morgan M583). This Martyrdom is a reflection of a once flourishing cult which is attested in Egypt by rich textual and material evidence. This text enjoyed great popularity not only in Egypt, but also in other countries of the Christian East, since his dossier includes texts in Coptic, Georgian, Ethiopic, and Arabic. This thesis examines the literary and historical background of the Martyrdom of Philotheus and similar hagiographical texts. It also explores the goals and concerns of the authors and editors of Coptic martyr passions and their intended audience. I am arguing that these texts were produced in order to perform multiple functions: to justify and promote the cult of a particular saint, as an educational tool, and as an important structural element of liturgical celebrations in honour of the saint. Another aim of this work is to stress the entertainment value of such texts. I explore the sources used by Coptic hagiographers for creating such entertaining stories, as well as the methods they used to re-work certain theological concepts and make them more accessible to the audience. The thesis begins with description of the manuscript tradition of Philotheus and a brief outline and comparison of its main versions. The second chapter discusses the place of the Martyrdom of Philotheus in Coptic hagiography and its connection to the so-called cycles. The next two chapters explore the motifs and topoi characteristic of Coptic martyr passions, especially the legend of Diocletian the Persecutor and the image of Antioch as the Holy City in Coptic hagiography, as these two motifs appear in one way or another in the majority of the martyr passions. Chapter 5 is dedicated to one of the focal points in the Martyrdom - the miracle of resurrection and the tour of hell – and its literary and theological background. Chapter 6 discusses representations of magic and paganism in Coptic hagiography and some of the concerns of Coptic hagiographers. In the last chapter I explore the geography of the cult, its iconographic and hymnographic dimensions and the transformation of the perception of the saint; the second part of this chapter discusses the questions of performance, authorship and audience.

Проблем аутобиографије и аутобиографског текста у српској књижевности средњег века комплексан је и у науци недовољно истражен. Иако интересовање за аутобиографске текстове старе српске књижевности није ново, досадашња бављења овом темом имала су за циљ само да прикупе и делимично опишу те текстове, без покушаја њиховог систематског сагледавања и тумачења у контексту српске и византијске књижевне традиције, а готово увек без одговарајуће теоријске аргументације.Дефинишући аутобиографију, савремене теорије у први план стављају појмове идентитета, индивидуалности и субјективитета. Ови појмови, међутим, захтевају темељно преиспитивање када је реч о средњем веку, који није познавао индивидуалност у данашњем смислу речи. Штавише, средњи век суочава нас са индивидуумом који се плаши своје оригиналности, који се боји да буде ,,он сам“.Отуда је, према средњовековном погледу на свет, писац само ,,инструмент“, продужена рука Бога; он је стваралац који ће све добро, тачно и истинито приписати дејству Духа, а своје ауторство признати једино у одступањима и погрешкама. Топос скромности којим средњовековни писци себе одређују као “грешне“, “недовољне“, “недостојне“, “последње од свих“, којим признају своје незнање и неспособност да пишу о одређеној теми, конституисао се најпре као израз монашке смерности, да би се у ХIV и XV веку ово опште место задржало као обична “декорација књижевног карактера“.Ипак, иако је за човека средњег века оригиналност била грех таштине, то не значи да средњовековни уметници нису били способни да створе оригинална дела, нити да су књижевна дела настала у епохи средњег века лишена особености и креативног приступа. Упркос томе што средњовековни аутори нису тежили сопственом изразу, већ су следили традицију раније формирану у одговарајућем жанру, ипак можемо говорити о њиховом индивидуалном стилу. Индивидуалност уметника огледала се, углавном, у инвентивности с којом је писац приступао наслеђеним навикама и у оплемењивању традиционалних поступака.Једна од основних претпоставки нашег истраживања била је да у епохи средњег века социјални идентитет готово у потпуности потискује лични идентитет, те да је средњовековни човек био сведен на функцију коју је имао у друштву, односно, да се право на писање аутобиографије у средњем веку заснива на темељу социјално признате важности. Прихватили смо, при том, мишљење већине изучавалаца да је за средњовековље најприкладнији појам ,,културне фигуре“, којим су означени тзв. идеални типови људске егзистенције, а који се, између осталог, исказују у језику књижевности и писмености оног времена.Имајући у виду чињеницу да поетиком средњовековне књижевности доминира начело жанра, а не начело ауторства, те да је управо жанр најзначајнији фактор који одређује шта ће писац рећи о себи и о свом животу, трагали смо за аутобиографским фрагментима у повељама, посланицама, записима и натписима, и житијима из XIV века.Будући да је основна карактеристика средњовековне аутобиографске књижевности фрагментарност (подаци које аутор оставља о себи расути су у текстовима различитих жанрова) један од основних циљева нашег истраживања био је да се утврди каква је веза аутобиографског фрагмента с главним текстом. Такође, као својеврстан аутобиографски поступак, а у складу с поетичким начелима средњовековне књижевности, анализирали смо сваку иновативну и оригиналну употребу општих места и библијских цитата, указујући на широке могућности увођења оригиналног садржаја у задате обрасце.У научној литератури посвећеној делима српске средњовековне књижевности појединим текстовима 14. века приписан је атрибут ,,аутобиографског дела“, док су неки чак означени као ,,праве аутобиографије“ (нпр. Улијарска повеља приписана краљу Милутину и Реч Душанова уз Законик). У неким случајевима, међутим, такво атрибуирање је потпуно неоправдано, па смо у раду покушали ревалоризовати уврежена мишљења.Коначно, један од циљева нашег истраживања био је да установимо шта је основна функција аутобиографских фрагмената у делима српске средњовековне књижевности: чување од заборава, оживљавање прошлости, или, пак, пишчево представљање сопственог религиозног и духовног развоја? У сваком случају, на примеру српских списа XIV века показује се да се аутобиографски принцип не мора схватити искључиво као принцип самоисказивања, већ и као одраз духа епохе у објективном сведочанству појединца.
Problem autobiografije i autobiografskog teksta u srpskoj književnosti srednjeg veka kompleksan je i u nauci nedovoljno istražen. Iako interesovanje za autobiografske tekstove stare srpske književnosti nije novo, dosadašnja bavljenja ovom temom imala su za cilj samo da prikupe i delimično opišu te tekstove, bez pokušaja njihovog sistematskog sagledavanja i tumačenja u kontekstu srpske i vizantijske književne tradicije, a gotovo uvek bez odgovarajuće teorijske argumentacije.Definišući autobiografiju, savremene teorije u prvi plan stavljaju pojmove identiteta, individualnosti i subjektiviteta. Ovi pojmovi, međutim, zahtevaju temeljno preispitivanje kada je reč o srednjem veku, koji nije poznavao individualnost u današnjem smislu reči. Štaviše, srednji vek suočava nas sa individuumom koji se plaši svoje originalnosti, koji se boji da bude ,,on sam“.Otuda je, prema srednjovekovnom pogledu na svet, pisac samo ,,instrument“, produžena ruka Boga; on je stvaralac koji će sve dobro, tačno i istinito pripisati dejstvu Duha, a svoje autorstvo priznati jedino u odstupanjima i pogreškama. Topos skromnosti kojim srednjovekovni pisci sebe određuju kao “grešne“, “nedovoljne“, “nedostojne“, “poslednje od svih“, kojim priznaju svoje neznanje i nesposobnost da pišu o određenoj temi, konstituisao se najpre kao izraz monaške smernosti, da bi se u HIV i XV veku ovo opšte mesto zadržalo kao obična “dekoracija književnog karaktera“.Ipak, iako je za čoveka srednjeg veka originalnost bila greh taštine, to ne znači da srednjovekovni umetnici nisu bili sposobni da stvore originalna dela, niti da su književna dela nastala u epohi srednjeg veka lišena osobenosti i kreativnog pristupa. Uprkos tome što srednjovekovni autori nisu težili sopstvenom izrazu, već su sledili tradiciju ranije formiranu u odgovarajućem žanru, ipak možemo govoriti o njihovom individualnom stilu. Individualnost umetnika ogledala se, uglavnom, u inventivnosti s kojom je pisac pristupao nasleđenim navikama i u oplemenjivanju tradicionalnih postupaka.Jedna od osnovnih pretpostavki našeg istraživanja bila je da u epohi srednjeg veka socijalni identitet gotovo u potpunosti potiskuje lični identitet, te da je srednjovekovni čovek bio sveden na funkciju koju je imao u društvu, odnosno, da se pravo na pisanje autobiografije u srednjem veku zasniva na temelju socijalno priznate važnosti. Prihvatili smo, pri tom, mišljenje većine izučavalaca da je za srednjovekovlje najprikladniji pojam ,,kulturne figure“, kojim su označeni tzv. idealni tipovi ljudske egzistencije, a koji se, između ostalog, iskazuju u jeziku književnosti i pismenosti onog vremena.Imajući u vidu činjenicu da poetikom srednjovekovne književnosti dominira načelo žanra, a ne načelo autorstva, te da je upravo žanr najznačajniji faktor koji određuje šta će pisac reći o sebi i o svom životu, tragali smo za autobiografskim fragmentima u poveljama, poslanicama, zapisima i natpisima, i žitijima iz XIV veka.Budući da je osnovna karakteristika srednjovekovne autobiografske književnosti fragmentarnost (podaci koje autor ostavlja o sebi rasuti su u tekstovima različitih žanrova) jedan od osnovnih ciljeva našeg istraživanja bio je da se utvrdi kakva je veza autobiografskog fragmenta s glavnim tekstom. Takođe, kao svojevrstan autobiografski postupak, a u skladu s poetičkim načelima srednjovekovne književnosti, analizirali smo svaku inovativnu i originalnu upotrebu opštih mesta i biblijskih citata, ukazujući na široke mogućnosti uvođenja originalnog sadržaja u zadate obrasce.U naučnoj literaturi posvećenoj delima srpske srednjovekovne književnosti pojedinim tekstovima 14. veka pripisan je atribut ,,autobiografskog dela“, dok su neki čak označeni kao ,,prave autobiografije“ (npr. Ulijarska povelja pripisana kralju Milutinu i Reč Dušanova uz Zakonik). U nekim slučajevima, međutim, takvo atribuiranje je potpuno neopravdano, pa smo u radu pokušali revalorizovati uvrežena mišljenja.Konačno, jedan od ciljeva našeg istraživanja bio je da ustanovimo šta je osnovna funkcija autobiografskih fragmenata u delima srpske srednjovekovne književnosti: čuvanje od zaborava, oživljavanje prošlosti, ili, pak, piščevo predstavljanje sopstvenog religioznog i duhovnog razvoja? U svakom slučaju, na primeru srpskih spisa XIV veka pokazuje se da se autobiografski princip ne mora shvatiti isključivo kao princip samoiskazivanja, već i kao odraz duha epohe u objektivnom svedočanstvu pojedinca.
The problem of autobiographies and autobiographical texts in the medieval Serbian literature is complex and has not been researched enough scientifically. Although the interest in autobiographical texts in the old Serbian literature is not new, prior dealings with this topic only aimed at collecting and partly describing those texts, without attempting to systematically consider and interpret them in the context of Serbian and Byzantine literary tradition. What’s more, they almost always lack appropriate theoretical argumentation.In their definition of autobiography, contemporary theories emphasize the notions of identity, individuality and subjectivity. However, these notions require a thorough reconsideration in relation to the Middle Ages, when individuality was not recognized in today's sense of the word. Moreover, the Middle Ages present us with the individual afraid of their originality, afraid of being “themselves”.Thus, according to the medieval view of the world, the writer is just an “instrument” – God’s extended arm; he is the creator who will ascribe everything good, correct and true to the act of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, he will be recognized as the author only in alterations and mistakes. Medieval writers use the topos of modesty to define themselves as “sinful”, “inadequate”, “unworthy”, “last of all”, and to admit their ignorance and incompetence to write about a specific topic. At first, the topos was constituted as an expression of monastic meekness, but in the 14th and 15th century this commonplace remained as an ordinary “decoration of literary nature”.However, even with individuality being the sin of vanity for the medieval person, it means neither that medieval artists were incapable of creating original works nor that the literary works from the Middle Ages lack any distinctiveness and creative approach. Although medieval authors did not aspire to their own expression but followed earlier established traditions in corresponding genres, their individual style can still be a matter of discussion. The individuality of an artist was reflected mainly in his inventiveness which he used to approach inherited habits and in the refinement of traditional devices.One of the basic assumptions of this research was that the social identity almost completely suppresses the personal identity in the Middle Ages, and that the medieval person was reduced to the function they had in the society, that is, that the right to write an autobiography in the Middle Ages was based on socially recognized importance. In addition, the proposition of most researchers that “cultural figures” is the most appropriate term for the medieval period is acknowledged in the research. This term signifies ideal types of human existence, which are, among other aspects, expressed in the language of literature and literacy of this era.Bearing in mind the fact that the poetics of medieval literature is dominated by the principle of genre rather than the principle of authorship and that the genre is the crucial factor when determining what the writer is going to say about himself and his life, the research focused on autobiographical fragments in charters, epistles, inscriptions and epitaphs, and hagiographies from the 14th century.Since fragmentariness is the central feature of medieval autobiographical literature (the facts which author leaves about himself are scattered in texts belonging to different genres), one of the primary aims of this research is to establish the quality of the connection between autobiographical fragments and the main text. In addition, every innovative and original use of topoi and biblical quotations has been analyzed as a particular autobiographical device in accordance with the poetical principles of medieval literature, highlighting a range of possibilities for the introduction of original contents into the given patterns.In the scholarly researches dedicated to the works of medieval Serbian literature, certain texts from the 14th century have been described as “autobiographical works” while some have even been designated as “real autobiographies” (e.g., Ulijarska Charter ascribed to King Milutin and Dusan’s Reč uz Zakonik). However, in some cases, such attribution is completely unjustified so this research has tried to revalue prevailing opinions.Finally, one of the aims of this research is to establish the basic function of autobiographical fragments in medieval Serbian literature and see if they were used to preserve memory, resurrect the past or allow the writer to present his own religious and spiritual development? In every case, taking the Serbian writings from 14th century as examples, it is shown that the autobiographical principle does not have to be understood only as the principle of self-expression, but as the reflection of the spirit of an era in an individual’s objective testimony.

The longer thirteenth-century Middle English verse life of Saint Frideswide found in the collection of saints' lives known as the South English Legendary (SEL) narrates an event unique to medieval hagiography. In the poem, a leper asks the virgin saint to kiss him with her "sweet mouth," which she does in spite of her feelings of considerable shame, and the leper is healed. The erotic nature of the leper's request, Frideswide's reluctance to grant it, and her shame throughout the incident represent a significant departure from the twelfth-century Latin texts on which the SEL version of the saint's life is based. In this paper, I provide a deeper critical analysis of the text than has previously been attempted, exploring the SEL version of the leper's healing from medieval perspectives on leprosy, gender, religious authority, and genre. By the thirteenth century, leprosy in hagiographic texts had come to symbolize the abject condition of Christ himself, and saints' lives invariably portrayed their protagonists as eager to embrace and kiss lepers as a means of serving Christ. Frideswide's shame and reluctance to kiss the leper greatly contrast with generic convention and cause her gender to emerge as a defining holy attribute inexplicably demanded by the leper's exigency. The SEL-poet's portrayal of Frideswide's gender as a vital component of her healing power is consistent with medieval conceptions of personhood, from which gender could not be separated. The poet crafts the scene of the leper's healing using conventions not only of hagiography but of romance as well; this hybridization of genres creates tension between sanctity and eroticism in the scene. The poet's depiction of the saint as simultaneously exceptional and human may have been a reaction against the contemporary ecclesiastical landscape, in which female authority and influence were limited. Moreover, the romantic language used by the poet to create tension also makes Frideswide's story more accessible to lay readers by transforming the relationship between supplicant and saint into an interaction between a courtly lover and his lady.

This thesis undertakes a close study of a single manuscript of the early 1320s, written at the priory of Fineshade, Northamptonshire. The manuscript contains a short chronicle and several documents related to the failed baronial rebellion of 1321-22. I argue that, in collaboration with the priory’s patrons, the Engayne family, the chronicler responds to the current situation with an attempt to create meaning from a time of crisis. In the process, he attempts to shape his material through patterns of style and thought inherited from both chronicle and hagiographical traditions, to make the present conform to the known and understood shape of the past. His success is limited by his inability to establish sufficient distance from traumatic events, a difficulty that many chroniclers seemed to encounter when they attempted to turn current events into meaningful historical narrative.

Written in c. 700 at the island monastery of Iona, Adomnán’s Vita Sancti Columbae (VSC) is an important source for the study of early medieval Scotland and Ireland. This thesis analyses the text as a literary work, seeking to understand more about its internal logic and the ways in which it relates to other kinds of literary texts. These include Biblical texts, other early insular, continental and late antique hagiographies, vernacular secular sagas, legal texts, scholarly literature and wisdom literature. Adomnán did not necessarily know all of these texts, and some of them post-date him, but they provide a wider interpretative context for VSC. Adomnán’s other known work, De Locis Sanctis, and texts connected to him, such as Cáin Adomnáin, will also be considered. I look for points of similarity and divergence between Vita Sancti Columbae and these other texts, which I term “adjacent literature”, looking to see how the text relates to its wider literary and intellectual context. By taking this approach, we are able to understand the text better on its own terms, making it more useful as a source for historical study. The text is studied, and set within its wider context, with respect to the following main areas: The Manuscripts of Vita Sancti Columbae: the visual construction of the text: Considering the five surviving manuscripts of the first recension of VSC, but focussing especially on the earliest (Schaffhausen Stadtbibliothek Generalia 1, of near authorial date and Ionan provenance), this chapter considers how the visual presentation of VSC relates to its production and reproduction as a literary text. Page layout, illumination, the use of the Greek alphabet and different colours of ink and manuscript context are all discussed. Structure and Narrative Sequencing in Vita Sancti Columbae: VSC is not a chronologically-structured account of Columba’s life, but rather a hagiography made up of many short narratives that demonstrate his sanctity and power in different ways. These narratives are arranged thematically, with a basic tripartite structure, with one book concerned with prophecies, one with miracles and one with visions. The narratives within the three books are often arranged into small, tightly constructed clusters of related stories. This chapter is an investigation of both the overall structure of the work and the “micro-structure” of the sequencing of narratives. Language and Vita Sancti Columbae: This chapter explores Adomnán’s style as a Hiberno-Latin writer, including discussions of such techniques as hyperbaton, alliteration and variatio. Adomnán’s use of and attitudes to Greek and Hebrew are also explored, as is his use of and attitudes to Old Irish. Sex, Women and Violence in Vita Sancti Columbae: This chapter investigates Adomnán’s presentations of sexual behaviour, the role of women as givers of advice, and the violence inflicted on the innocent. Several of the narratives about violence clearly have a strong gendered dimension, and relate in interesting ways to Cáin Adomnáin, and they are discussed in this light. Dangerous Beasts in Vita Sancti Columbae: VSC contains several encounters with dangerous beasts of various kinds, some of which are not unambiguously identifiable. These episodes are studied in turn, including discussions about identifying the beasts, and investigating the functions that they have within the text. Vita Sancti Columbae and Cult Practice: The thesis concludes with an exploration of the roles VSC might have played in the life of the Columban familia. The use of blessed objects and relics within the text is studied, with suggestions as to their relation to cult practice. The final section concerns the possibility that certain parts of VSC were intended to be used in processions, or to be read with the active participation of an audience.

La Maríu saga est une saga hagiographique anonyme d’origine monastique faisant le récit de la vie de Marie, de sa conception à son Assomption, rédigée en langue vernaculaire et composée entre le dernier tiers du XIIIe siècle et la seconde moitié du XIVe siècle en Islande. Assortie d’une traduction inédite du texte, la présente étude se propose comme une nouvelle approche de la Maríu saga que nous inscrivons dans la longue tradition littéraire et théologique des Vies de la Vierge, des biographies homilétiques mariales tributaires des évangiles apocryphes composées par des moines et théologiens du VIIe au Xe siècle dans l’Empire Byzantin, et que nous situons dans le contexte littéraire et culturel européen médiéval afin de mettre en lumière les enjeux poétiques et doctrinaux que soulève l’acte d’écrire et de réécrire la vie de la Vierge en Islande au Moyen Âge. Pour ce faire, nous envisageons l’œuvre de différents points de vue, d’abord de l’histoire de la réception des textes bibliques et parabibliques, ensuite contextuel et philologique, puis littéraire et enfin théologique. Nous nous employons à montrer à travers son étude poétique et doctrinale que, à l’exemple des vies de Marie médiévales ecclésiastiques, la Maríu saga manifeste des spécificités propres au foyer culturel de son époque : medium entre la littérature et la théologie, l’œuvre est un texte hagiographique narratif qui présente le double intérêt d’être à la fois un témoin de la pratique de la réécriture hagiographique en langue vernaculaire et le reflet du développement dogmatique et de l’évolution de la réflexion théologique sur Marie, et de fait sur le Christ, en Islande médiévale
Maríu saga is an anonymous hagiographic saga relating the story of Mary’s life, from her Conception to her Assumption, written in the vernacular and composed in the monastic milieu between the last third of the thirteenth century and the second half of the fourteenth century in Iceland. Coupled with an unprecedented translation of the text, this dissertation offers a new approach to Maríu saga that I situate within the long literary and theological tradition of the Lives of the Virgin – these Marian biographic homilies which draw on apocryphal gospels were composed by monks and theologians from the seventh to the tenth century in the Byzantine Empire –, and that I put into the European medieval literary and cultural context in order to examine the literary and doctrinal issues raised by the act of writing and rewriting the life of the Virgin in Iceland in the Middle Ages. I successively consider Maríu saga from different perspectives: in a first part, from the history of the reception of biblical and parabiblical texts; in a second part, from an historical and a philological aspect; in a third part, from a literary point of view; and in a fourth part, from a theological angle. My aim is to demonstrate through the study of its poetics and its doctrine that, like the medieval ecclesiastical lives of Mary, Maríu saga bears specific features of its cultural area of its time: medium between literature and theology, this work is a narrative hagiographic text that presents the double interest of being the witness both to the practice of hagiographic rewriting in the vernacular and to the doctrinal development and the evolution of the theological reflection on Mary, and in fact on Christ, in medieval Iceland

Die Geschichte der ‚unschuldig verfolgten Frau‘ wurde im Mittelalter und darüber hinaus vielfach tradiert. Die Erzählung der ‚Leipziger Kleinepikhandschrift‘ Ms 1279 aus dem 15. Jahrhundert liefert eine Variante, die Crescentia als Heilige und Ärztin stilisiert. Integriert in eine literarische Sammelhandschrift vermittelt die Erzählung Handlungsanleitung auf der Ebene des sensus moralis'.:1. Einleitung 11 1.1. Erzählstoff 11 1.2 Inhalt 14 1.3 Überlieferung 16 1.4 Ms 1279 aus der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig 18 1.5 Sprache 25 2. Textabdruck und Übersetzung 29 3. Zum Verständnis 71 4. Literaturverzeichnis 91 4.1 Quellen 91 4.2 Forschung 93

La présente recherche tente de se centrer sur le septième centenaire de la mort de saint François d’Assise (1226- 1926). Elle étudie trois auteurs ayant rendu hommage au saint : Michel de Ghelderode (1898-1962) avec les Images de la vie de saint François d’Assise, Henri Ghéon (1875-1944) avec La Vie profonde de saint François d’Assise, et Déodat de Basly (1863-1937) avec La Christiade française. À travers des approches hagiographique, poétique, et théologique, l’étude envisage de se plonger dans une large perspective de représentions littéraires du saint, afin de retracer un paysage littéraire qui se focalise sur l’époque choisie
The present research attempts to focus on the seventh centenary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi (1226- 1926). This work will study three authors who had paid homage to the saint: Michel de Ghelderode (1898- 1962) with Images de la vie de saint François d’Assise, Henri Gheon (1875-1944) with La Vie profonde de saint François d’Assise, and Déodat de Basly (1863-1937) with La Christiade française. Under hagiographic, poetic, and theological approaches, this work intends to dip into a broad perspective of literary representations of St. Francis, in order to trace a literary landscape that focuses on the chosen era

Esta tesis doctoral tiene por objetivo analizar la relevancia ideológica y política de Gregorio Magno (590-604), autor de un prolífico corpus exegético, así como de un valiosísimo Registrum epistularum que contiene buena parte de la información conocida para la Italia de su tiempo. Además, su papel en la organización de la Iglesia de Roma prefigura el poder terrenal que adquiere definitivamente el Papado en época carolingia. Ha sido nuestra pretensión considerar a Gregorio desde esta dualidad, síntesis entre Romanitas y Christianitas, para entender la globalidad de su pensamiento y la trascendencia de su política. A tal efecto, hemos estructurado la tesis en cinco partes, de las cuales, la Parte I incluye los objetivos científicos y la introducción metodológica, mientras que la Parte V expone los logros conseguidos a modo de conclusiones. Las tres partes restantes componen el grueso de la investigación y se corresponden con los tres ejes de nuestro discurso. En la Parte II, contextualizamos la figura de Gregorio en las coordenadas históricas y especialmente culturales que influyeron en su pensamiento. Nos ha parecido lógico empezar por su educación –tanto laica como religiosa–, puesto que ésta cimienta su concepción del mundo y deviene referencia ineludible para cualquier análisis de su obra. La Parte III trata del ideario de lo sacro. Analizamos ciertos componentes accesorios – pero muy relevantes– del discurso proselitista gregoriano: la música, la imagen y las reliquias. De todos ellos se sirve el pontífice en favor de la evangelización; los tres se sacralizan al tiempo que se controla su producción y uso; en conjunto, se instrumentalizan para establecer un vínculo espiritual con Roma que incida en su autoridad moral en el Mediterráneo tardoantiguo. También estudiamos la actitud resultante de esta redefinición de lo sagrado en la nueva religiosidad cristiana con respecto de la alteridad religiosa; así, abordamos las diversas actuaciones gregorianas para con los herejes y cismáticos –arrianos, donatistas y tricapitolinos– o bien ante los infieles –judíos y paganos–, evidenciando las diferencias en el trato hacia unos y otros. Incluimos, además, su obra hagiográfica, los Dialogorum libri quatuor, de discutida autoría, en la cual aparece una concepción de la santidad generada por las particulares circunstancias de una Italia escindida entre bizantinos y longobardos. En ella, habitan la Península Itálica una miríada de santos próximos y coetáneos –los uiri Dei gregorianos– que ratifican la continuidad de la intervención divina en el mundus con el propósito de dotar a las tierras italianas de un santoral propio y cercano. Dedicamos la Parte IV al análisis de la Realpolitik desarrollada por el papa ante las diferentes monarquías de la Romania del siglo VI. Dividimos esta parte en dos apartados principales: el primero se refiere a la concepción monárquica teórica de Gregorio, forjada en las virtudes bíblicas, pero actualizada según los parámetros tardoantiguos; el segundo profundiza en su obra de gobierno ante el Imperio bizantino y los reinos germánicos europeos. En cuanto a este segundo apartado, reseñamos las iniciativas diplomáticas del Magno interpretándolas en clave “hagiopolítica”, neologismo que empleamos para definir toda actuación política fundamentada en un principio hagiológico. Nos parece obvio que Gregorio se valió de su nuevo ideario de lo sacro, y especialmente las reliquias le ayudaron a ganar el favor de los poderosos del mundo en su intento por incrementar la influencia de Roma en el Mediterráneo postimperial. Por otra parte, ya fuera ante el emperador o ante los reyes germánicos, Gregorio hizo siempre gala de una ductilidad política que evidenciaba su adaptativa personalidad. Y todavía añadimos un tercer punto: la actitud de Gregorio para con las reinas. Aquí se nos revela como un papa completamente original, pues mantuvo una abundante correspondencia con diversas soberanas y patricias que le había de procurar su apoyo ante sus esposos, un elemento indispensable en la cristianización de las nuevas sociedades germánicas. Completamos nuestras aportaciones con un par de Apéndices: el primero trata de las reliquias fundacionales y personales enviadas o solicitadas por el pontífice, trazando un mapa de destinatarios que nos indica la relevancia relicaria en la política papal; el segundo elabora una lista definitiva de los uiri Dei presentes en los Dialogi con la intención de ponderar su origen social y su importancia en la cultura de la Italia bizantina.
This thesis aims to analyse the ideological and political relevance of Gregory the Great (590-604), author of a prolific exegetical corpus and a valuable Registrum epistularum which contains the bulk of the information known for the Italy of his time. It has been our intention to consider the pontiff from this duality, synthesis of Romanitas and Christianitas, to understand the wholeness of his thought and the transcendence of his politics. Thus, we have divided our thesis into three axes. In the first axe (Part II), we study Gregory’s figure in the historical and especially cultural context which influence on his discernment. Both his laic and religious education constitute the basis of his conception of the world and become indispensable for any research on his work. The second axe (Part III) deals with the ideology of the sacred. Firstly, we examine some accessory but important components of his proselytism –music, image and relics–, which the pope used to establish a spiritual bond with Rome that concerns her moral authority in the late antique Mediterranean. Secondly, we study the effect of Gregory’s redefinition of the sacred on his different attitude towards religious otherness: heretic, schismatic or unfaithful. Finally, we analyse the Dialogorum libri quatuor, whose authorship is discussed. In this hagiographical work, Italy is inhabited by many close and contemporary saints –the Gregorian uir Dei– who ratify God’s intervention to provide this land its own holy men. The third axe (Part IV) refers to the pontifical Realpolitik developed before the different monarchies of the sixth century Romania. We examine his monarchical conception and evaluate his actual and adaptive diplomacy before the Byzantine Empire or the Germanic kingdoms to interpret Gregory’s political interventions from a “hagiopolitical” point of view. It seems clear to us that the pontiff made use of his new ideology of the sacred to increase Rome’s influence, and the relics sent to sovereigns and patricians are the best example. Besides, Gregory was the first pope who kept a significant correspondence with empresses and queens, whose influence on their consorts was to become essential in the Christianisation of the late antique societies. The thesis also includes two Appendixes dealing with the relics and the uiri Dei, respectively.

This dissertation concerns the narrative and theological role of divine vengeance and saintly cursing in the saints’ Lives of England and Ireland, c. 1060-1215. The dissertation considers four case studies of primary material: the hagiographical and historical writings of the English Benedictines (Goscelin of Saint-Bertin, Eadmer of Canterbury, and William of Malmesbury), the English Cistercians (Aelred and Walter Daniel of Rievaulx, John of Forde), the cross-cultural hagiographer Jocelin of Furness, and the Irish (examining key textual clusters connected with St. Máedóc of Ferns and St. Ruadán of Lorrha, whose authors are anonymous). This material is predominantly in Latin, with the exception of the Irish material, for which some vernacular (Middle Irish) hagiographical and historical/saga material is also considered. The first four chapters (I-IV) focus discretely on these respective source-based case studies. Each is framed by a discussion of those textual clusters in terms of their given authors, provenances, audiences, patrons, agendas and outlooks, to show how the representation of cursing and vengeance operated according to the logic of the texts and their authors. The methods in each case include discerning and explaining the editorial processes at work as a basis for drawing out broader patterns in these clusters with respect to the overall theme. The fifth chapter (V) frames a more thematic and comparative discussion of the foregoing material, dealing with the more general questions of language, sources, and theological convergences compared across the four source bases. This chapter reveals in particular the common influence and creative reuse of key biblical texts, the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, and the Life of Martin of Tours. Similar discussion is made of a range of common ‘paradigms’ according to which hagiographical vengeance episodes were represented. In a normative theology in which punitive miracles, divine vengeance and ritual sanction are chiefly understood as redemptive, episodes in which vengeance episodes are fatal can be considered in terms of specific sociological imperatives placing such theology under pressure. The dissertation additionally considers the question of ‘coercive fasting’ as a subset of cursing which has been hitherto studied chiefly in terms of the Irish material, but which can also be found among the Anglo-Latin writers also. Here it is argued that both bodies of material partake in an essentially shared Christian literary and theological culture, albeit one that comes under pressure from particular local, political and sociological circumstances. Looking at material on both sides of the Irish Sea in an age of reform, the dissertation ultimately considers the commonalities and differences across diverse cultural and regional outlooks with regard to their respective understandings of vengeance and cursing.

RÉSUMÉ Forme littéraire développée dès les débuts du IVe siècle, l’hagiographie, plus tard sanctionnée par l’Église catholique romaine, se déploie avec tout le rituel et le décorum requis par le genre institué, dévoilant les modalités du savoir et du croire qui la distingue. Cette forme fixe fut réactivée, contre toute attente, dans une somme étoffée durant la seconde moitié du XXe siècle par le Collège de ‘Pataphysique, aréopage de philosophes, littérateurs et plasticiens, qui n’est pas un conclave d’excentriques, pas davantage qu’un nouvel « isme », mais une institution qui résolument emblématise la Science. Ce réemploi générique de l’hagiographie est caractérisé par une hétérogénéité bien peu canonique s’inscrivant dans une continuité problématique par rapport au sous-texte. Une première traversée du Calendrier inviterait à croire à une entreprise parodique et iconoclaste. La parodie, qui est aussi une imitation, pose un problème de visée. Le second degré de Gérard Genette implique deux grands régimes discursifs : le sérieux (le sérieux proprement dit et le satirique) et le ludique. Ces régimes nous ont été utiles pour arrimer la question de l’humour. Il y a là en somme deux possibilités, soit la parodie sérieuse conduisant à ridiculiser l’hagiographie et le Calendrier des Saints qui seraient sérieusement visés, néantisés, tournés en dérision; soit la parodie ludique, à portée nulle, simple jeu, farce farfelue, « pour rire ». Or, nous avons tenté de démontrer dans ce mémoire que, même s’il y a lieu d’avancer des arguments en faveur de l’un et de l’autre type de parodie, le partage ne fonctionne pas, précisément peut-être parce qu’il est possible de montrer à la fois que c’est sérieux et pas sérieux. Dans un troisième temps, on peut aussi faire la démonstration que le pas-sérieux est sérieux. Les jeux de mots, d’homophonie n’engagent-ils pas le Verbe? L’imitation impossible ne réfléchit-elle pas les imitabile de la Sainte Église? La situation énonciatrice tributaire de l’hagiographie pataphysique est non différentiable d’un souci de didactisme qui place la composante moralisatrice au centre des enjeux discursifs. Elle induit de ce fait des attentes en matière d’ethos consistant à mettre au même diapason une représentation sociale de l’énonciateur et une représentation intradiscursive au ton didactique. Elle adjoint un autre ton, savant celui-là, érudit, qui vient défaire la belle convergence et fait disjoncter la rhétorique du genre. Cette rhétoricité problématique de l’hagiographie pataphysique a été abordée sous l’angle de l’ethos. L’ethos est l’instance de validation par laquelle nous renvoyons non pas au caractère de l’orateur, mais, suivant en cela Dominique Maingueneau, au type de parole engendrée par le discours et qui, en retour, rend ce discours crédible. Que devient cette instance lorsque la visée persuasive du discours est remise en question, que l’ethos se démultiplie de façon hétérogène sans véritablement assurer la cohésion du propos ni garantir sa portée? La parodie posant incidemment un problème de visée, est-ce du côté d’un ethos parodique que se trouve la réponse? Il nous a convenu de mesurer, d’articuler, de déplacer cette postulation. Nous nous sommes saisi, pour les besoins de notre argumentation, d’une discipline historiquement lourde d’investissement théorique, soit la rhétorique. Celle-ci constitue à la fois une méthode de composition d’un discours reposant sur des lieux susceptibles de susciter l’adhésion et l’émulation de l’énonciataire et une méthode d’analyse. Guidé par une définition étendue du texte, traversant les littératures non narrative et narrative, il nous a importé enfin de restituer la pratique cymbaliste à partir d’un corpus qui est resté l’apanage du « seul » pataphysicien. Nous nous sommes ainsi situé dans l’horizon plus global de la réceptivité d’un discours qui évacue l’idéologique, qui jamais ne se laisse saisir tout à fait, ni enferrer par le fétiche du sens au profit des potentialités qu’il recèle, et cela à partir d’axiomes arbitraires soumis à l’unique exigence de cohérence interne.
ABSTRACT Hagiography, a literary form dating back to the beginnings of fourth century Christianism, and later sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church, exhibits itself with all the ritualistic devices and decorum requisite to the genre, displaying the full intricacies of its knowledge and beliefs in the process. It was unexpectedly given new life by an extensive body of work put forth, in the second half of the 20th century, by the Collège de ‘Pataphysique (or ‘Pataphysics), a gathering of philosophical and literary minds. The Collège intended to be an institution dedicated to the emblematization of Science, something other than a conclave of eccentrics or a mere new “ism”. This generic reuse of hagiography exhibits a singular heterogeneity, which, far from being canonical, is part of a continuation, a problematic element vis-à-vis the subtext. Upon reviewing the Calendar of the Saints, one could conclude that this collective work is little more than a parodical and iconoclastic enterprise. But parody, a form of imitation, raises the issue of scope. Gérard Genette’s Second degree refers to two main types of discourse: the serious -what is serious per say and what is satirical-, and the playful. This approach proved useful when tackling the matter of humour. There are, in fact, two alternatives: serious parody, which would deride hagiography and the Calendar of the Saints, or playful parody, a simple game, a farce with no actual scope, “just for fun”. While a valuable argument can be made for either option, we will attempt to demonstrate that a distinction between the two is in fact impossible, precisely because it is possible to prove that it is both serious and not serious. Ultimately, we can also demonstrate that the not-serious is serious. After all, isn’t it true that puns and homophony both involve the Word? And doesn’t the impossible imitation reflect the imitabile of the Holy Church itself? The enunciative situation stemming from pataphysical hagiography is indistinguishable from any didactical endeavour with a moralistic component at its core. It calls for ethos, with a social representation of the enunciator as well as a didactical representation from within the discourse itself. It also takes a more scholarly tone, which disrupts the convergence and has a disjunctive effect on the rhetoric of the genre. We chose to approach the “rhetorical problem” raised by pataphysical hagiography through the notion of ethos. The ethos, as a validation premise, takes us beyond the speaker’s character, in the footsteps of the likes of Dominique Maingueneau, to the type of message stemming from the discourse, making it credible. But what becomes of this premise when the discourse’s persuasive scope is put into question? When the ethos multiplies itself, preserving neither the message’s cohesion nor its scope? If parody incidentally raises the issue of scope, does the answer lie in some form of parodical ethos? We saw fit to measure, articulate and analyse this hypothesis from different angles. For the purposes of our analysis, we took on a disciplined, rhetorical approach. Although cumbersome from a theoretical standpoint, this method for creating discourse is based on elements capable of inciting both adherence from (and emulation of) the enunciator, as well as on a method of analysis. Guided by a broader definition of the text, spanning both narrative and non-narrative literary genres, we sought to restore the cymbalistic approach from a body of work belonging solely to the pataphysician. We thus positioned ourselves in the greater setting of a discourse free of ideological considerations, that is never quite fully understood or stuck within the confines of meaning, and therefore has endless potential ; a discourse based on random axioms bound only by the requirement of internal coherence.

The rise in production and distribution of Christian Hagiography in the Early Byzantine Empire points towards a unique moment in Christian History. The role of the saint was moved from the margins to a central and dynamic position within the church hierarchy and broader religious landscape. Meeting the pagan claims of power and prestige, hagiographers crafted a saint that was more retributive than the earlier martyrologies and histories. The ascetic took on a role that was more akin to God's agent than suffering stranger. The deserts of Syria, Palestine and Egypt become the territory of struggle against a world that had fallen out of step with God's will, but was slowly being corrected. This research looks for reasons as to why this prominent form of literature became more deliberately retributive through its progression toward the sixth century. A major focus of the argument will be the influence that Origen had on Christian theological interpretation. Beginning with a section on Origen, this research will move on through the five most prominent hagiographical compilations in late antiquity. In the end, it will show that each of these hagiographers' relationship with Origen's teaching and subsequent communities yielded a particular flavor of hagiography on a spectrum of retributive justice. Finally, it will take into account the influence that the development of a structured system of law under Justinian had on the religious outlook of various later works.

abstract: This dissertation concerns “revelations to others” in medieval hagiographical and visionary texts. Revelations to others take many forms—spiritual visions, dreams, visual and tactile witnessing of miracles, auditions—but they all are experienced by someone other than, or in addition to, the holy person who is the subject of the text. This type of revelatory experience is common and, I argue, highly significant. Most straightforwardly, revelations to others serve to further authenticate holy women or men, confirming their devotion to God, their miraculous abilities, and/or their favored position with Christ. But revelations to others do much more than authorize the visionary. They voice the possibility that one could learn to have visions, which has interesting connections to modern ideas of guided seeing, such as meditation. They suggest circumstances in which holy persons served as devotional objects, helping their viewers achieve a higher level of religious experience in a similar manner to stained glass windows, crucifixes, or images of Veronica’s veil. For women, revelations to others sometimes offer access to spaces in which they could not physically step foot, such as the altar or the bedrooms of abbots. Moreover, by showcasing the variety of persons participating in divine experiences (monks and nuns, lay persons, nobility, and sometimes other holy persons), revelations to others speak to the larger visionary communities in which these holy persons lived. Through a series of close readings, this dissertation creates a taxonomy of revelations to others and argues for their necessity in understanding the collaborative nature of medieval spirituality.
Dissertation/Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation English 2019

This work examines the literary English traditions of four Virgin Martyrs: Agatha of Catania, Agnes of Rome, Juliana of Nicomedia, and Katherine of Alexandria. The primary focus surrounds the narratological developments and alterations of these women’s sex-specific or -emphasized tortures. In addition to torments, other details, which may not initially appear sex-specific in nature, are also considered. As recent scholarship has shown, Virgin Martyrs’ lives tend to conform to a relatively standardized core narrative by the later Middle Ages. This study considers to what extent the lives of these four saints actually conform and to what extent they retain individualism despite this homogenizing trend. An analysis of each narrative’s progression from early Latin sources, when available, through fifteenth-century English texts, which supplements the current scholarly trend of examining Virgin Martyrs as a collective group, is also provided. The tracing of these legends’ sex-specific characteristics allows for clear identification of similarities and deviations within various sources. Five appendices, each including an analytical table, are included to aid in the visualization of this progression. The tables, which allow for quick and easy identification of variations through chronologically listed sources, demonstrate this process in a concise and user-friendly manner and should be utilized alongside examinations of these legends as presented in each of the central chapters. The first chapter, on Agatha, addresses her breast amputation and its symbolic implications for femininity and motherhood, as well as the argument that Virgin Martyrs ‘Become Male’ during their passiones. The second chapter, on Agnes, explores her traditionally eroticized relationship with Christ, the motif of concealment, and Virgin Martyrs’ conventional brothel experience. The third chapter, on Juliana, focuses upon the Warrior Virgin Martyr tradition, her physical and spiritual struggle with the devil, and the tradition of familial rejection. The final chapter, on Katherine, considers her position as supreme Bride, her limited physical trials, and her relationship with the Blessed Virgin. The final appendix contains a comparative chart of Virgin Martyr legends within the Legenda aurea, which indicates the frequency of motifs and plot devices in these lives.

In this dissertation, I examine a genre of commercially-published, illustrated hagiographical books. Recounting the life stories of some of China’s most beloved cultural icons, from Confucius to Guanyin, I term these hagiographical books “origin narratives” (chushen zhuan 出身傳). Weaving a plethora of legends and ritual traditions into the new “vernacular” xiaoshuo format, origin narratives offered comprehensive portrayals of gods, sages, and immortals in narrative form, and were marketed to a general, lay readership. Their narratives were often accompanied by additional materials (or “paratexts”), such as worship manuals, advertisements for temples, and messages from the gods themselves, that reveal the intimate connection of these books to contemporaneous cultic reverence of their protagonists. The content and composition of origin narratives reflect the extensive range of possibilities of late-Ming xiaoshuo narrative writing, challenging our understanding of reading. I argue that origin narratives functioned as entertaining and informative encyclopedic sourcebooks that consolidated all knowledge about their protagonists, from their hagiographies to their ritual traditions. Origin narratives also alert us to the hagiographical substrate in late-imperial literature and religious practice, wherein widely-revered figures played multiple roles in the culture. The reverence of these cultural icons was constructed through the relationship between what I call the Three Ps: their personas (and life stories), the practices surrounding their lore, and the places associated with them (or “sacred geographies”). In this dissertation, I explore this dynamic through the prism of origin narratives by focusing on the immortal Xu Xun 許遜, the god Zhenwu 真武, and the immortal bard Lü Dongbin 呂洞賓. I conclude with a case study of a recurrent theme in origin narratives: the protagonist’s journey through hell. The main goal of this dissertation is to examine the pivotal yet overlooked genre of origin narratives and unveil its significance to Chinese literature and cultural practice. What was the reading experience of origin narratives? What spurred their rise and commercial success in late Ming? And what was their long-term impact on writing and worship in late-imperial China? To answer these questions, this dissertation attempts to transcend anachronistic disciplinary boundaries that obscure the realities of life in late Ming China, and instead explore origin narratives within the broader cultural framework that informed their production and consumption during this period. Therefore, I analyze origin narratives in conjunction with a wide range of materials that fall into the realms of literature, religion, and history. These include literary works, canonical texts, popular religious tracts (baojuan and shanshu), daily-life encyclopedias, local gazetteers, geographical compendia, pictorial hagiographies, and art works. Origin narratives reflect three concomitant trends in late-Ming book culture: a renewed interest in hagiographies, a penchant for anthologizing in commercial publishing, and the multiple roles xiaoshuo narratives played in the culture. In their hybrid composition and encyclopedic scope, origin narratives are a unique late-Ming phenomenon that opens a rare window onto the interplay between literature and religion during this transformative period in the history of Chinese culture.