ENGL 512: Medieval Literature
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State UniversityDevotional Literature: Humanizing God
Read carefully through the headnote at NA 367-8, paying particular attention to the comments on the poems of Marian devotion (applicable also to the assigned online readings found on the supplemental page of Marian lyrics). Know which two poems (one in the NA, one in the supplemental Marian lyrics) were written by known authors (St. Godric, late 12th-century; and William Herebert, died 1333) Note the different depictions of Christ (or a Christ-like figure) and of Mary in the assigned poems "What is he, this lordling"; "Ye That Pasen by the Weye"; "Sunset on Calvary"; "I Sing of a Maiden"; "Adam Lay Bound" and the "Corpus Christi Carol" (NA 368-70), as well as in the Marian lyrics (online readings). Note the emphasis on the humanity of Christ and, especially, of Mary. Which of the two is depicted as more accessible? In what roles does Christ appear? Is he the central figure you might have expected him to be?
In the first two lyrics, Christ is depicted as a sort of warrior-hero analogous to the Christ of the Dream of the Rood. "What is he, this Lordling" describes the Christ of the Crucifixion as a valiant if blood-spattered knight; note the imagery or diction (word choice) that depicts him in this light. "Ye that Pasen by the Weye" is addressed not to the long dead witnesses of Christ's actual Crucifixion but to a contemporary audience contemplating a Crucifix or other artistic depiction of Christ's Crucifixion. The emphasis on the uniqueness of Christ in this poem -- there is no other like him -- recalls the depiction of Beowulf as a larger-than-life savior figure whose feats of prowess are super-human compared to the more ordinary heroism of the warrior Wiglaf.
Consider the importance of the Virgin Mary in the remainder of the poems. How is she portrayed? What can the sinner expect from her? For what qualities is she praised? In what roles does she appear? Consider the differences between these expressions of medieval piety and the treatment of religious themes in the first two lyrics and the Dream of the Rood. What is the effect of this differing emphasis and treatment? What societal changes (in e.g. values, message, target audience) are implied by this shift from God-as-Warrior to a more humanized, "feminine" side of religious experience? Do you see a connection to the importance of the Virgin Mary in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Follow the links for examples of medieval artwork depicting Mary in her roles as mother or as mother-to-be, as intercessor, or as Queen of Heaven, and note similarl imagery in the lyric poems. How are these various Marian functions and roles interrelated? Consider e.g. how Mary's privileged status as the mother of Christ makes her a particularly effective intercessor with her son, the Judge of mankind, for the souls of those who pray to her, and her status as the universal mother of mankind -- a sort of "Everymom" figure -- explains in part why she was held in such high veneration by medieval Christians. Consider in this regard the various depictions of Mary and of Christ (e.g. as the presiding Judge at the Last Judgment) in the medieval artwork found on the class homepage or e.g. on the Getty Museum website.
Note the use of imagery or diction (word choice) associated with "courtly love" in some of the religious poems (see esp. "I Sing of a Maiden" and "The Corpus Christi Carol"). To modern readers, it seems odd that the Virgin Mary is described in terms that recall erotic love. Why might this be so? According to St. Bernard of Clairvaux and other Christian mystics, the Bridegroom and Bride of the Song of Songs can be seen as allegorical representations of (among other things) Christ and Mary, the King and Queen of Heaven, who together constitute a sort of "Salvation Couple" responsible for the redemption of fallen mankind. This "coupling" of Christ and Mary as partners in mankind's salvation was understood symbolically rather than literally; it was not meant to suggest celestial incest, but to account for both the "masculine" and the "feminine" sides of God and to universalize the metaphor of human love as a symbol of the soul's ecstatic union with God. Christ and Mary are the "new Adam and Eve," the Salvation couple who replaces the Fallen couple, God's answer to Adam and Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden.
Note the presence of the felix culpa ("happy fault" or "fortunate fall") motif in the poem "Adam Lay Bound." Traditionally, this motif refers to the notion that the fall of mankind (due to the wiles of the temptress Eve) was actually a good thing, since it afforded God the opportunity to demonstrate His great love by sending His Son to redeem fallen mankind. In the poem "Adam Lay Bound," there is an interesting variation upon this theme: Adam alone seems to be responsible for the Fall (Eve is not mentioned; see line 3). Moreover, the happy result of that initial fall is not the existence of God's Son, but of Mary in her role as Queen of Heaven (see lines 5-8).
Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2007
Click here for the supplemental Marian Lyrics (Online Readings)
Click here for an Introduction to Medieval Allegory
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