Julian, Margery, Woolf the Majority

Julian, Margery, Woolf

The majority of the literature that is familiar to readers during the Middle Ages and Renaissance is by male writers, since women were not encouraged to read and write since they were not equal to males. Out of this meager literary file, some examples do remain because of the women's affiliation with the church or court. These include Julian of Norwich, a solitary visionary, and Margery Kemp, who was motivated by voices within her mind. Author Virginia Woolf in "A Room of One's Own," states that such so-called "Shakespeare's sisters" could not have lived as a genius. "Any woman born with a great gift in the 16th century would certainly have gone crazed, shot herself, or ended her days in some lonely cottage outside the village, half witch, half wizard, feared and mocked by all."

It is not surprising that one of the women who wrote during this time, Julian of Norwich, was a recluse. Those females who escaped to a nunnery had a little bit more freedom to be creative. At the age of 30 (1372 A.D.), she had a near-fatal illness and felt extreme pity for Christ's sufferings (Norton 14). Afterward, she wrote her book about her revelations based on the visions of Christ or "showings." She was commemorated as a Saint by the Church of England in 1980.

In her writings, Julian piously describes God as one who is ultimately pleased in the creation of the world and thankful for those living in happiness in heaven. The devil is eternally frustrated. Although Julian lived in a historical period filled with despair, she said this was not a time of punishment but purification of sin. She speaks of the saints rejoicing in the heavenly Kingdom and the King, himself, open to being approached on his throne. On earth, one must turn to the Church as a continuance of Jesus' ministry.

Julian's beliefs about women during the Middle Ages are mixed. In her study of medieval gender constructions, Fragmentation and Redemption: Essays on Gender and the Human Body in Medieval Religion, Bynum concludes that medieval theory acknowledged the "permeability or interchangeability of the sexes," although "the male body is paradigmatic," and even Julian of Norwich, for whom Christ was Mother, still consistently referred to him with the male pronoun (220-22). On the other hand, Robertson suggests that the physicality of Julian's language presents the redemptive possibilities for femininity and emphasizes the sensuality of Christ. Thus it is the "feminized body of Christ" that "redeems the sensual" (156). Further, Robertson believes that Julian was a subtle strategist who sought to undo assumptions about women and to provide a different concept of femininity through contemplation of Christ's "feminine" attributes.

Margery Kemp was also born in the 14th century, but instead of spiritual meditations she had preachings that "reflect a tumultuous moment in church history" (Norton 2). Margery was illiterate and thus depended on others to write her story, which can be read as anything from a spiritual journey to the desire to rebel against her times (She convinced her husband that celibacy would most please God). During one of her mental breakdowns, Margery said she was visited by Jesus who said, "My daughter, why have you left me, when I never for one moment went away from you?" Unlike the religious writings of Julian, Margery wrote of everyday activities and events. She included accounts of her trips, marriage and gatherings with notable people.

The tale of "Shakespeare's sister" that Woolf tells in "A Room of One's Own" relates to the Middle Ages and Renaissance and the status of women and the barriers they faced due to the stereotypes about their gender. Ironically, the world had not changed much in this regard when Woolf wrote. She had foreseen the reaction to "A Room of One's Own" and said in her diary: "I forecast, then, that I shall get no criticism, except of the evasive jocular kind... that the press will be kind & talk of its charm, & sprightliness; also I shall be attacked for a feminist & hinted at for a sapphist... I shall get a good many letters from young women. I am afraid it will not be taken seriously.... It is a trifle, I shall say; so it is, but I wrote it with ardour and conviction.... You feel the creature arching its back & galloping on, though as usual much is watery & flimsy & pitched in too high a voice."