Anonymous Old English Lives of Saints

Kramer, Johanna (Editor)/ Magennis, Hugh (Editor)/ Norris, Robin (Editor)

ISBN 10: 0674244648 / ISBN 13: 9780674244641

Published by Harvard Univ Pr, 2020

764 pages. 8.25x5.50x1.75 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # 0674244648

Synopsis:

From the first centuries of Christianity, believers turned to the perfection modeled by saints for inspiration, and a tradition of recounting saints’ Lives flourished. The Latin narratives followed specific forms, dramatizing a virgin’s heroic resolve or a martyr’s unwavering faith under torture.

In early medieval England, saints’ Lives were eagerly received and translated into the vernacular. The stories collected here by unknown authors are preserved in manuscripts dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They include locally venerated saints like the abbess Seaxburh, as well as universally familiar ones like Nicholas and Michael the Archangel, and are set everywhere from Antioch to Rome, from India to Ephesus. These Lives also explore such topics as the obligations of rulers, marriage and gender roles, private and public devotion, the environment, education, and the sweep of human history. This volume presents new Old English editions and modern English translations of twenty-two unattributed saints’ Lives.

About the Authors: Johanna Kramer is Associate Professor of English at the University of Missouri.

Hugh Magennis is Professor Emeritus of English at Queen’s University Belfast.

Robin Norris is Associate Professor of English at Carleton University.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Anonymous Old English Lives of Saints
Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr
Publication Date: 2020
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Brand New