Margery Kempe and the dramatic imagination : a study of The book of Margery Kempe in relation to the Middle English Corpus Christi plays
Date
1989
Authors
Wilson, Christina
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Abstract
Although medieval literary works are usually examined in relation to other literary sources , other art forms are also relevant in the understanding of literary texts. In a largely illiterate society the visual arts would have been especially significant , particularly medieval drama which was easily apprehended and retained in the memory. This thesis attempts to show how knowledge of the English Corpus Christi plays can illuminate the reader's understanding of both the life and the Book of Margery Kempe.
Used as an educational tool by the Church, the Corpus Christi plays not only reflected the e vents of the past, they also took a critical look at the moral and social life of society as it existed in the Middle Ages. The religious drama provides important evidence about Margery and the society she lived in, the development of her spirituality, and the nature of her devotional practices.
In Chapter One Margery is viewed in relation to the medieval attitudes t o wards women as they are reflected in the characterization of Noah ' s wife , in the N.Q.ah plays. In an antifeminist society, where all women are considered corruptible and disobedient, Mrs. Noah is depicted as the typical female shrew, the label given to any woman threatening the established order of society through a show of independence. Unlike Mrs. Noah whose "rebellious" activity is curbed at the end of each play, Margery's spirit of independence exists both before and after her religious conversion, disturbing religious and laypersons alike. By comparing the behaviour of both Margery and Mrs. Noah, and the reactions each receives, it is possible to show how Margery is able to use the medieval system against itself in order to achieve and maintain a measure of personal independence not usually afforded to women in her time. Chapter Two discusses two aspects of Margery's spiritual growth: 1) the various influences on Margery which increased her sense of dramatic awareness and participation in her meditations, and 2) the importance of visual stimuli to Margery. The spiritual influences Margery would have encountered included the Franciscan teachings on meditation, and the revelations of various female mystics and visionaries, including those of Saint Bridget of Sweden. The religious drama, however, provided Margery with an effective visual influence, particularly in the characterization of figures like the Virgin and Mary Magdalene, who were role models for Margery and who, through their shared womanhood, brought Margery closer to Christ.
In Chapter Three the importance of the Passion to medieval Christians is discussed in relation to Margery's own meditations on the Passion. In this section the Corpus Christi Passion sequences are used to explain Margery's heightened awareness of, and devotion to, the Passion, and illustrate Margery's use of the dramas as a direct source for her own meditations.
In the Conclusion, it is suggested that the dramatic qualities which existed in and influenced Margery's life allowed her to live a life essentially of her own making. Like the Corpus Christi plays, Margery could blend the past with the present, fantasy with reality, and reconcile her secular life with her religious vocation. With her active imagination and heightened sense of the dramatic, Margery is able to move back and forth between her daily, physical activities and her all-consuming spiritual meditations while continuing to live in a society which never ceased trying to govern her life for her.