Description
Employing the use of trauma theory, Rachel Scoggins uncovers a unique perspective to medieval femininity and spirituality present within the autobiography of Margery Kempe.
Scoggins argues that Kempe's work illustrates a situation where spirituality and sexuality co-exist in her devotion to God. In her autobiography, Kempe frames her religious journey through images of the body and female sexuality with the aim to take agency of both her own bodily autonomy and her religious expression. Eventually, Kempe reclaims her voice and control by leaning into the intersection of spirituality and sensuality and embracing female agency as she navigates male-dominated religious spaces. Trauma and Tears in The Book of Margery Kempe presents Kempe not as a hysterical or hypocritical figure, but a woman with an interesting and important view of everyday spiritual engagement through the eyes of a secular woman.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- EPUB 3.0
- Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
- WCAG level AA
- WCAG v2.2 compliant
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
- No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
- Has alternative text descriptions for images
Visual adjustments
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
- Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
- Purposes of all links are made clear
Rich content
Language tagging provided
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Finding Voice Through Emotional and Physical Trauma
2. Rejecting Traditional Marriage and Negotiating Bodily Agency
3. Self-Inflicted Punishment as a Trauma Response
4. Christ as a Safe Space
5. Spectacle and Heretical Actions That Lead to Violence
6. The Need to Be Noticed: Constructing a Sense of Self-Worth through the Body, Knowledge, and Conflict
7. The Search for Safe Spaces through Margery's Relationships with Women
Conclusion
Bibliography
Notes
Product details
| Published | Feb 05 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 194 |
| ISBN | 9781978761643 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Series | Studies in Medieval Literature |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
ONLINE RESOURCES
Bloomsbury Collections
This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.
Related Titles
