The crucifix, the pietà, and the female mystic : devotional objects and performative identity in The Book of Margery Kempe

Journal article

Focusing on The Book of Margery Kempe, this article argues that devotional objects such as the crucifix and the pietà functioned as a model for the performance of religious identity. Reading devotional objects as devotional “events,” using material culture and performance theory, the article will demonstrate that pastoral care texts and religious lyrics created an expectation that an encounter with a devotional object could be a powerful opportunity for religious self-fashioning. Thi...

Expand abstract

Authors: Varnam, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Penn State University Press Publisher's website
• Journal: Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 208-237
• Publication date: 2015-01-01
• Acceptance date: 2015-03-01
• DOI: 10.5325/jmedirelicult.41.2.0208
• EISSN: 2153-9650
• ISSN: 1947-6566
• Language: English
• Keywords: performance theory; Lollardy; The Book of Margery kempe; material culture; religious identity