The Showings of Julian of Norwich / Edition 1

by Julian of Norwich, Denise N. Baker

Overview

Julian of Norwich is among the most intriguing religious visionaries in Christian history.
Carefully edited for the undergraduate reader, this Norton Critical Edition includes an informed introduction, focusing on Julian’s theology and preparing students to understand the complex, controversial themes of the text, particularly Julian’s solution to the problem of evil in Revelation XIII and XIV. Paragraph divisions have been organized to emphasize the thematic units of each chapter, and the sentences have been punctuated for clarity.
The text included is a Middle English edition, based on the Paris manuscript (1580–1650) of the long text, with language akin to Chaucer’s and therefore more accessible than other Middle English editions.
"Contexts" includes contemporary texts that help students better understand Julian’s originality, including selections from works by Margery Kempe, Augustine, Aelred of Rievaulx, and Walter Hilton.
"Criticism" brings together interpretations that address the themes and style of the Showings by Sandra McEntire, Lynn Staley, B. A. Windeatt, and David Aers, among others.
A Selected Bibliography is also included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393979152
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	10/04/2004
Series:	Norton Critical Editions
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Denise N. Baker is Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She is the author of Julian of Norwich’s Showings: From Vision to Book as well as numerous articles on mysticism and other topics in medieval literature and culture. She is the editor of Inscribing the Hundred Years’ War in French and English Cultures.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	ix
	The Language of the Paris Manuscript	xxiii
	A Glossary of Frequently Used Words	xxv
	The Text of Showings	1
	Contexts
	The Short Text of A Book of Showings [A Woman as Teacher]	129
	The Book of Margery Kempe	130
	[A Visit with Julian of Norwich]	130
	[Meditation on the Passion]	131
	The Trinity [The Two Parts of the Mind]	135
	The Scale of Perfection [The Two Parts of the Soul]	136
	De Institutione Inclusarum [Jesus as Mother]	137
	Ancrene Wisse (A Guide for Anchoresses) [Jesus as Mother]	139
	Criticism
	From The Life of an Anchoress	143
	[The Trope of the Scribe and the Question of Literary Authority in the Texts of Julian of Norwich]	150
	From The Humanity of Christ: Reflections on Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Love	158
	From The Likeness of God and the Restoration of Humanity in Julian of Norwich's Showings	164
	[Human Nature: The Image of God]	176
	[Jesus as Mother]	190
	The Art of Mystical Loving: Julian of Norwich	196
	Selected Bibliography	211