PUTTING on the ARMOR of GOD: DEFENSIVE READING in ENGLAND, C
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PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD: DEFENSIVE READING IN ENGLAND, c. 1250-1500 A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Ruth Hannah Mullett December 2017 ii © 2017 Ruth Hannah Mullett iii PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD: DEFENSIVE READING IN ENGLAND, c. 1250-1500 Ruth Hannah Mullett, PhD, MA, MSt, MA (Hons) Cornell University 2017 Ephesians 6:11 calls upon readers to, ‘[p]ut you on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil.’ This dissertation puts this verse at the center of devotional practice in thirteenth- to fifteenth-century England by showing that books and stories were often perceived as that very armor. Just as St Boniface reportedly held up a scriptural manuscript at his moment of martyrdom to protect himself from the sword, medieval readers saw their books, and the texts contained within them, as spiritual and physical protection against devilish attacks. Not only were texts adapted and manipulated by redactors for defensive reading, the form of the manuscripts themselves encouraged their readers to treat them as allegorical, even literal, shields. In order to evidence this reading practice, this dissertation explores the transmission history, textual content, and cultural contexts of two Middle English verse texts. Part I shows how ‘O Vernicle,’ a fourteenth century lyric on the arma Christi (the ‘arms of Christ’), exemplifies the ritualistic nature of defensive reading. Extant in ten rolls and ten codices, the textual presentation encourages the reader to imaginatively arm themselves with the arma Christi, turning those weapons once used against Christ into their ‘armor of God’ (Eph. 6:11). Part II focuses on the late thirteenth-century collection of sanctorale and temporale entries known as the South English Legendary. It deals iv predominantly with an early reader of the collection – a redactor whose ‘edits’ transformed the historical trajectory of the South English Legendary, imbued it with a defensive purpose, and shaped the way it was recopied through the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The content of both texts, made up of image/text arma Christi units and hagiographic vitae and temporale respectively, divide and compartmentalize the reading experience. This suits the defensive agenda, allowing the reader to collect ‘textual shields’ as spiritual armor. Putting on the Armor of God defines a widespread cultural practice – ‘defensive reading.’ It demonstrates not only that medieval readers consciously read certain devotional Middle English texts in order to defend themselves against spiritual evils, but also that they were copied and redacted with this purpose in mind. Ultimately it shows that, in the later Middle Ages, reading was a way of putting on the ‘armor of God’ (Eph. 6:11). v BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Ruth Hannah Mullett completed an undergraduate M.A. (Hons) in English and Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews, before going on to complete a M.St. in English 650-1550 at Oxford University. She began her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies at Cornell University in 2011, earning a M.A. in 2014. Her Ph.D. dissertation was written under the supervision of Andrew Galloway (chair), Andrew Hicks, and Samantha Zacher. Broadly speaking, Ruth is interested in how medieval literary history can be seen to move through a conversation with the cultural past, and her dissertation interacts with this question. Ruth’s research interests extend to include book history, paleography and codicology, and digital humanities (particularly manuscript imaging and digital cataloging techniques). vi For JCM and CJD vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the three brilliant scholars who have served on my special committee – Andrew Galloway, Samantha Zacher, and Andrew Hicks. I gained inspiration and insight from their classes and our chats, and their guidance, support, and kindness has steered me through the perils of my PhD. I especially thank my chair, Andy Galloway, whose generosity of time, energy, and wisdom is truly exceptional. Many colleagues and friends have played their part in supporting me academically and personally through this PhD. Nigel Palmer has mentored me in all things academic over the last three years. His confidence in me, however ill-founded, has helped me to grow. Laurent Ferri introduced me to manuscript fragments, and has counselled me from my earliest days at Cornell. Thanks are due to the staff of Cornell University Library, and particularly to Virginia Cole, who always had a smile to share and never rejected a book purchase request. Jim Utz has advocated for me, and every member of the Medieval Studies Program, on very many occasions. I thank my dear friend and collaborator, Louisa Smieska, who has challenged me to think about manuscripts in new ways. I owe much to Brittany Rubin and the staff at the Johnson who made me a part of their museum family. Throughout my time at Cornell, Kris Corda has worked tirelessly to create and maintain a welcoming space for graduate students at the Big Red Barn. I thank her for giving me a job, and letting me be a part and a beneficiary of that effort. viii My Cornell ladies – Nancy, Kaylin, Ruoji, and Hannah – have kept me sane. The laughter, hugs, and occassional tears we have shared since 2011 have made each and every day better. For the therapy baskets, for the dinners, for the movies, and for all the love – thank you. I could not have asked for a lovelier or more supportive group of friends with whom to share my Cornell journey. Thanks are due to Dakota, for his dry wit and tech support, and Mike, for always bringing the beer and the board games. Corinna, Max, Sam, and James have enriched my Ithacan life. Chelsea and Irene made the best Big Red Barn buddies. I thank Jessy, Dot, Vicky, and Perdita for making our long-distance friendship a priority, and Phil, Tim, and Kiran for their science, friendship, and doctoral empathy. Many more friends, at home and abroad, are due thanks for sticking with me over the years and a huge hug of thanks goes to all those I cannot mention here. I owe a lifetime of thanks to my brother, Andrew. His support, protection, and argumentativeness has shaped me into the person I am today. Without his great achievements to live up to, I may never have written this PhD. Thanks also go to my Dad, John, for always believing in my work. Finally, this dissertation is dedicated to my Mum, Janette, my greatest inspiration, and my partner, Chris, my closest ally. There are no words to do justice to the patience and love they show me everyday. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................... i INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 PART I: ‘O VERNICLE’ AND THE ARMA CHRISTI TRADITION ........................................ 11 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 11 1. Texts and Contexts ................................................................................................................ 17 The Arma Christi Tradition ................................................................................................... 19 Arma Christi as Relic ........................................................................................................ 19 Arma Christi as Heraldic Symbol ...................................................................................... 26 The Textual Tradition of ‘O Vernicle’ .................................................................................. 30 Rolls for Reading ............................................................................................................... 33 Rolls for Ritual .................................................................................................................. 46 Rolls and Speech ............................................................................................................... 50 ‘O Vernicle’ Stemmatics ....................................................................................................... 54 Family I ............................................................................................................................. 55 Family II ............................................................................................................................ 60 2. Reading Redactions ............................................................................................................... 65 Sins and the Senses ................................................................................................................ 73 Partner Texts .......................................................................................................................... 79 Illustrating the Passion .........................................................................................................