Memory and Confession in Middle English Literature

by Kisha G. Tracy

Overview

This book argues that the traditional relationship between the act of confessing and the act of remembering is manifested through the widespread juxtaposition of confession and memory in Middle English literary texts and, furthermore, that this concept permeates other manifestations of memory as written by authors in a variety of genres. This study, through the framework of confession, identifies moments of recollection within the texts of four major Middle English authors – Langland, Chaucer, Gower, and the Gawain-Poet – and demonstrates that these authors deliberately employed the devices of recollection and forgetfulness in order to indicate changes or the lack thereof, both in conduct and in mindset, in their narrative subjects.

Memory and Confession in Middle English Literature explores memory’s connection to confession along with the recurring textual awareness of confession’s ability to transform the soul; demonstrating that memory and recollectionis used in medieval literature to emphasize emotional and behavioral change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319556741
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	05/08/2017
Series:	The New Middle Ages
Edition description:	1st ed. 2017
Pages:	123
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kisha G. Tracy is Assistant Professor of English Studies, specializing in early British and world literatures, and Co-Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Fitchburg State University. Her main research interests include medieval memory and confession, medieval disability, and higher education pedagogy.

Table of Contents

1 ​Introduction.- 2 Reducere ad memoriam: A Brief Overview of Confession and Memory.- 3 Langland: Piers Plowman, Recollection, Confession, and the Penitent.- 4 Gower: Confessio Amantis and the Fear of Forgetting.- 5 Chaucer: Romances and the Temporality of Confession.- 6 Gawain-Poet: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, To Forget or Not to Forget.- 7 Final Thoughts.

Editorial Reviews

Memory and Confession in Middle English Literature deserves commendation for its recognition of the influence of post-Lateran IV penitential theory and practice on late medieval narrative fictions; one could wish more significant its insights into the cultural implications of that influence.” (R. W. Hanning, Speculum, Vol. 94 (4), October, 2019)

From the Publisher