IMC 2010: Sessions
Session 708: How to Pray in Medieval England
Tuesday 13 July 2010, 14.15-15.45
| Organisers: | Eleanor McCullough, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York Kate H. Thomas, Department of English & Related Literature, University of York |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Sethina Watson, Department of History, University of York |
| Paper 708-a | How to Pray Like an Anglo-Saxon Monastic (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Language and Literature - Latin, Liturgy, Religious Life |
| Paper 708-b | How to Pray in Anglo-Norman (Language: English) Index terms: Daily Life, Language and Literature - French or Occitan, Liturgy, Religious Life |
| Paper 708-c | How to Pray Like a Late Medieval Layperson (Language: English) Index terms: Daily Life, Language and Literature - Middle English, Lay Piety, Liturgy |
| Abstract | Prayer was an integral part of medieval life, for religious and lay people alike. This session explores ways in which devotion was practised at different times of the day, according to the canonical hours, throughout the Middle Ages, in both Latin and vernacular languages. The session aims to recover in particular the under-researched performative aspects of prayer, making use of manuscript evidence which includes instructions on when and where to pray, bodily posture, and adoration of the Cross, both mnemonically and pictorially. The three papers will highlight both continuities and discontinuities in devotional practice, including the overlap between lay and clerical piety. Together, they will cover a cross-section of society, from Anglo-Saxon to late medieval England. |