Spiritual and Material Boundaries in Old French Verse: Contemplating the Walls of the Earthly Paradise

Jacob Abell

Published by Medieval Institute Publications 2023

Spiritual and Material Boundaries in Old French Verse

Contemplating the Walls of the Earthly Paradise

Jacob Abell

Volume 37 in the series Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501514258

Overview
Contents

About this book

The Earthly Paradise was a vibrant symbol at the heart of medieval Christian geographies of the cosmos. As humanity’s primal home now lost through the sins of Adam of Eve, the Earthly Paradise figured prominently in Old French tales of lands beyond the mundane world. This study proposes a fresh look at the complex roles played by the Earthly Paradise in three medieval French poems: Marie de France’s The Purgatory of St. Patrick, Benedeit’s Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot, and Guillaume de Lorris’s The Romance of the Rose. By examining the literary, cultural, and artistic components that informed each poem, this book advances the thesis that the exterior walls of the Earthly Paradise served evolving purposes as contemplative objects that implicitly engaged complex notions of economic solidarity and idealized community. These visions of the Earthly Paradise stand to provide a striking contribution to a historically informed response to the contemporary legacies of colonialism and the international refugee crisis.

Author / Editor information

Jacob Abell is a medievalist at Baylor University where his work focuses on ecocriticism, religious studies, and the digital humanities. His most recent publication focuses on the poetics of trauma in Dante and the Caribbean poet Aimé Césaire.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
A Note on Sources Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1 Apocalyptic Solidarity and Worthless Gems in Benedeit’s Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
Chapter 2 Holy and Human Self-Reflexivity in the Espurgatoire Seint Patriz of Marie de France Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
Chapter 3 The Earthly Paradise That Never Was: Standing before the Walls of a Dream in the Roman de la Rose of Guillaume de Lorris Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications
Audience: Researchers (Medieval Literature; French Studies; Poetry)
Pages
- Front matter: 8
- Main content: 123
Keywords: Spirituality; Paradise; Old French; Subjectivity; Borders

eBook

Published: September 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781501514258

Hardcover

Published: September 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781501520570