Sacred Biography - Saints and Their Biographers in the Middle Ages

Zusatztext Heffernan has read widely and reflectively in the vast field of medieval hagiography and given us a book on the subject that probes deeply into the nature of the documents and the vagaries of our response to them. Klappentext This excellent book attempts to bridge the gulf separating medieval from modern sensibility with regard to issues of authority and judgment in biographical writing...Logical, thorough, and well-documented...It is now, and will be for some time to come, the most substantive study of the subject, providing a fair assessment of the work of earlier pioneers, establishing a far-ranging and comprehensive bibliography, and offering new, fresh insights on the writing, context, and reception of 'sacred biographies.' Zusammenfassung Medieval "saints' lives" are among the oldest literary texts of Western vernacular culture, yet are routinely patronized as "pious fiction". Heffernan demonstrates that to characterize the genre as fiction is to misunderstand the intentions of medieval authors, who were neither simply credulous or blinded by piety. Concentrating on Latin and English texts, Heffernan reconstructs the medieval perspective, arguing that such biographical writing presupposes an entirely different view of the world and the self, and presents new ideas of sin and guilt, of what was real and what imaginary, and for what one should live and die. Offering a new perspective on Christian literary expression, this book will appeal to scholars in Medieval, Religious and New Testament studies, Feminist Studies, and those interested in the history of Christian spirituality.

Product details

• Authors: Thomas J. Heffernan, Thomas J. (Professor of English Heffernan, Heffernan Thomas J.
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.10.1992
• EAN: 9780195079074
• ISBN: 978-0-19-507907-4
• No. of pages: 346
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Biographies, autobiographies; Latin, LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical, RELIGION / Christian Theology / General, RELIGION / Christianity / General, Theology, Christianity, Christian theology, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval