ENG 410: Middle English Mystics, Winter 2006

Louise M. Bishop, voicemail 346-0733, 308 Chapman Hall
Office hours Please note that these office hours are shared with the Clark Honors College undergraduates; you may take your chances, or you may reserve office hour time via sign-up sheets on my office door (sign-up sheets list hours for the entire term); make an appointment if these hours don't work.

Class hours: Monday and Wednesday, 4:00 pm to 5:20 pm in 214 Mackenzie

Note: in case of inclement weather and class cancellation, I will leave a message on my voicemail, 347-0733. Since I live close to campus, I do not anticipate cancelling class because of bad weather.

Please also note that plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course.

Requirements | Sign-up list for words | Guidelines for annotations and presentation | Daily reading assignments | "My Mystic" | Web resources | Group presentation evaluation | Paper format

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Requirements

1. A brief exercise in Middle English language

• You'll choose one word from a list,
• look it up in the Middle English Compendium (available on-line: type in "Middle English Compendium" as a title on library home page and click; click on the Website; then click on "Middle English Dictionary"; then click on "look up" to get a field for entering your query)
• and write a brief paper (less than 1000 words) on the word's subtleties: how do its Middle English definitions fit with modern definitions? Due Wednesday, January 18.

2. "My mystic," for your midterm paper and group presentation. You'll sign up to research and give a short group presentation on one of the following eight mystics. My Mystic sign-up list

• St. Bridget of Sweden's Revelations: BX4700.B62 E5 2000
• Walter Hilton's Scale of Perfection : BX2349 .H54 1991
• Mechthild, The Flowing Light of the Godhead : BV5091.V6 M43413 1998
• Walter Hilton's Stimulus Amoris: 242 B64
• Ancren Riwle: PR1808 .W48 1993
• Aelred of Rievaulx's Spiritual Friendship: LBX2349 .A4513 1994
• The Cloud of Unknowing : BV5080 .C5 1978
• Marguerite Porete Mirror of Simple Souls: BV5091.C7 M5713 1981

Your research into that mystic will serve not only for your midterm paper, but can also inform your term paper for the class: you may compare "your mystic" with one of the three Middle English mystics we're reading this term. Both your midterm and term papers will include bibliographies. Each bibliography should include at least three sources and, while you may use Internet resources to narrow your search for articles and books (and you can use articles/books I have on reserve), YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY must be of TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED articles and books. Granted, some journals now include Web versions. Our library, in fact, subscribes to J-STOR and Project Muse, both of which reproduce paper articles in PDF format, making them available to your desktop. But article must be from "peer-reviewed" journals and have passed through tighter intellectual rigors than information available only on the Web. You can ask me or any librarian about the status of an article.

I'm happy to help you with your research during office hours; you can also gain much from the reference librarians at the Knight library. Don't wait for the last minute to begin this assignment.

You would be well served to write "annotations" for each research article you read. Here are some guidelines for annotation (with thanks to Prof. Lisa Freinkel):

• Cite the article or book chapter using proper MLA documentation style.
• Do more than summarize the article. Your goal here is to explicate the author's thesis as concisely and clearly as possible. Details of the argument should only be mentioned when they seem necessary for understanding the author's thesis. A good annotation will give a sense of "what's at stake" with the argument. Why is s/he writing this essay? To what critical trend or presumption is s/he responding?
• Avoid quoting the article. Occasionally a brief quote will be helpful to convey the author's position or his/her tone, but be careful! You want to explicate, not to re-cite. Be especially careful to paraphrase rather than quote directly if your author is using jargon, specialized or highly theoretical terms.
• Avoid editorializing. Be as neutral as possible. Your goal is not to critique but to explicate. You are presenting an argument - not demonstrating its weakness.

Guidelines for group presentation During the last week of class, each group will give a brief 10 to 15 minute presentation on their mystic. You can also be the "expert" on your mystic whenever s/he seems appropriate to the discussion. The purpose of your presentation is to give you classmates a sense of your mystic. What's the most important thing the rest of the class should know about your mystic? Be organized. Do not summarize in detail essays you've read; make copies of relevant information for the class. Your presentation's goal is to help us understand your mystic, in light of our work during the term. Each group be will evaluated by the rest of the class: see the Group presentation evaluation Back to top of page, back to top of "Requirements"

3. A midterm paper (1000-1500 words) on your "outside" mystic. Due Wednesday, February 8. Be sure to use proper citation form.

4. A term paper (2000-3000 words, exclusive of footnotes and bibliography), comparing your mystic with one or all of our Middle English mystics, or treating one of our primary topics with evidence drawn from our three Middle English mystics. Due Wednesday, March 15.

5. Periodic surprise quizzes to make sure you're keeping up with the reading.

Grading

The Middle English language exercise constitutes 15% of your grade; the midterm paper, 20%; the term paper, 30%; the presentation of My Mystic, 15%; the quizzes, cumulatively, 15%; contribution, 5%. N.B.: there is no final exam in the class. Please note the University's "grade point value" system effective 9/90, as I will be using this system to grade your work (unless otherwise noted):

A+ = 4.3	B+ = 3.3	C+ = 2.3	D+ = 1.3
A = 4.0	B = 3.0	C = 2.0	D = 1.0
A- = 3.7	B- = 2.7	C- = 1.7	D- = 0.7

Note that a grade of "C" is, according to academic regulations, "satisfactory," while a "B" is "good." That means that a "B" is better than average, better than satisfactory, better than adequate. The average grade, then, is a "C"; a grade of "B" requires effort and accomplishment.

January 9 St. Adrian of Canterbury (d. 710) Introduction: What is "mysticism"?	January 11 Blessed William Carter (d. 1584) Read Introductions to Julian and Richard Rolle. Read the first three chapters of Julian, pp. 37-41 and Rolle, end of "Form of Living," pp. 181-3. For Julian, the question is, what does sickness have to do with mysticism? For Rolle, the question is, why differentiate the active from the contemplative life?
January 16 NO CLASS: MLK jr. Day	January 18 Due-- a brief exercise in Middle English language Christina Ciccarelli, virgin Prayer: Julian, Chapters 6, 42 and 43; Rolle, "Ego Dormio" (pp. 132-42). What is the role of "self" and "will" in prayer? Why is prayer important to the mystic?
January 23 Raymond (of Peñafort), monk Rolle, "The Commandment" (pp. 143-151) and Julian, Chapter 26, the 12th vision: how do mystics redefine love and desire?	January 25 Paul, apostle (Conversion) FILM: Anchoress (Chris Newby, 1995). The film is 108 minutes long; please try to arrange to be able to stay in class until 5:45 pm
January 30 Bathildis, queen (of France) Rolle, "Meditations on the Passion" (pp. 90-106, 124 for the ambitious) and Julian, chapters 8 through 10, including the second revelation: what is the role of the senses in mysticism?	February 1 Bridget, virgin, abbess, martyr Rolle "Desire and Delight," pp 130-1 and "The Bee and the Stork," pp. 127-9 Julian chapter 44 on the soul, chapter 57 on substance and senses: how do these mystics metaphors differ? What is the connection between soul and body?
February 6 Barsanuphius, anchoret Rolle "The Form of Living" Julian chapter 54-55: what is the wellspring of mystic vision?	February 8 Cuthman Midterm paper due Rolle Lyrics, pp 184-95 Julian chapter 83, "life, love, and light": poetry and metaphor
February 13 Kentigern Margery Kempe, chapters 1 through 7 Julian's vision of Mary (chapter 25) and her account of saints (chapter 38): distinguish Margery's account and Julian's on the basis of vision and body.	February 15 Sigfrid, bishop, confessor (sometimes martyr), Apostle of Sweden Margery Kempe, chapters 8 through 11 Julian chapter 41 (her fourteenth vision) and chapter 39 on sin: how are their definitions similar, and how are they different?
February 20 Mildred, abbess Margery Kempe, chapters 12 through 32 (Chapter 18: Margery meets Julian; Chapter 28, she starts her crying) Julian, chapters 50 and 52 explaining divine assessment, and chapter 68, which advises "no raving": how do Julian's own words compare with what she tell Margery?	February 22 Chair of Peter the Apostle Margery Kempe, chapters 33 through 45, including chapter 35, Margery's marriage with Jesus; and chapter 36, "thinking, weeping, high contemplation" Julian, chapter 27, pain as comfort, and chapters 59 and 60: Jesus as mother
February 27 Nestor, bishop, martyr Margery, chapters 46 through 58 (note Margery's sickness in Chapter 56 and compare with Julian's) and Julian chapter 56 on the knowledge of God and self: how do Margery's answers to her detractors and inquisitors in chapters 48 through 51 (and others you notice) compare with Julian's advice?	March 1 St. David of Wales (d. 589?) Margery, chapters 59 through 71 and Julian chapters 57 and 58: the power of theological concepts like the trinity and the position of the virgin Mary
March 6 Colette, abbess Margery, chapters 72-78 Note chapter 78: Margery "languishes for love," as did Rolle in Chapter 7 of "Form of Living" (pp. 164 ff) Julian chapter 22, the ninth revelation of love: how do Margery and Julian conceive of divine love?	March 8 Felix, bishop (of Dunwich, Suffolk), martyr Margery, chapters 79 to 89 Julian chapters 16 and 17 What metaphor controls each mystic's view of the passion?
March 13 Gerald, bishop Margery, Book 2 and Julian chapter 86: conventional and unconventional endings My Mystic presentations	March 15 DUE: term paper Longinus, martyr My Mystic presentations

The Orb | The Labyrinth | The Richard Rolle Page | Julian of Norwich Page, Julia Bolton Holloway | Mapping Margery Kempe

General resources

• Cambridge History of English Literature. Ed. David Wallace. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. PR255 .C35 1999
• Aers, David. Community,Gender, and Individual Identity: English Writing, 1360-1430. London: Routledge, 1988. PR275.I34 A35 1988
• Beckwith, Sarah. Christ's Body: Identity, Culture, and Society in Late Medieval Writings. London: Routledge, 1993.
• Bynum, Caroline. Fragmentation and Redemption: Essays on Gender and the Human Body in Medieval Religion. New York: Zone Books, 1992. BT741.2 .B95 1992
• Carruthers, Mary. The Book of Memory: A Study of Memory in Medieval Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990. BF371 .C325 1990