The Hermeneutics of Desire in Medieval English Devotional Literature by Amanda Joan Wetmore A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Amanda Wetmore 2018 The Hermeneutics of Desire in Medieval English Devotional Literature Amanda Joan Wetmore Doctorate of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto 2018 Abstract This dissertation explores the way medieval English devotional writers utilized the hermeneutics of contemporary biblical exegesis, in order to frame their depictions of an erotic and embodied encounter with the divine. The way they manipulate the construction of literal to allegorical realities enables—rather than constrains—the relationship of flesh to spirit, so that the desiring body does not disappear into discourse, but rather, language operates in service of the flesh, articulating a profoundly incarnational devotion, not divested of the body that produced it. My first chapter explores these themes in Aelred of Rievaulx's (died 1167 CE) De institutione inclusarum and De Iesu puero duodennni, where I examine the way Aelred constructs an economy of affect through his manipulation of readers' desire through the focalization of their gaze on the body of Christ. In my second chapter, I analyze John Whiterig's (died 1371 CE) Meditacio ad Crucifixum, and notably his erotic semiotics, and erotic interpretation of the Crucifixion, following a four-fold biblical exegesis. Third, I look at the way the The Cloud of Unknowing (late 1300s CE), as part of the “negative” or apophatic tradition, deconstructs some of the typical ideas of cataphatic devotion, positing its own way of accessing the indescribable divine, through darkness, silence, binding, and even anal eroticism. In this chapter, I use modern BDSM (bondage, domination, and sado-masochism) as a comparative context with which to ii compare the Cloud's use of bondage and denial to achieve transcendence. Finally, I analyze the parable of the Lord and Servant in Julian of Norwich's (died 1416 CE) Long Text, in which I argue that Julian constructs her own “exegesis,” which both responds to and critiques the dominant hermeneutical modes of her day. Julian's parable demonstrates a metonymic structure of relations, in which the literal and spiritual levels are not hierarchized, but united. iii Acknowledgments I am grateful to many people for their support in completing this thesis. First, Grace Desa, you are the guardian angel of the Centre. Only a divine intelligence could know everything you know and do everything that you do. You have been there for me since the first day I got lost handing in my application to the MA program, and I have considered you to be such a kind and guiding force in my life since then. You work so hard and so thanklessly for everyone, and on behalf of us all: thanks, thanks, and ever thanks. The Centre simply wouldn't be the Centre without you. Second, to my internal and external readers, Audrey Walton and Nicholas Watson, thank you for the time and care put into your insightful reading of this thesis, and for your generous comments and criticism moving forward to publication. Third, to my committee, I am in awe of and eternally grateful for each of you. In the words of Joe Goering, as he walked past one of our meetings, "Amanda, you are surrounded by glory!" Jill, your courses on rhetoric and the body inspired my topic and quickly whipped me into shape at the graduate level. I still look through my notes from your courses fondly, and they continue to inspire me with new topics and ideas. Thank you for your ever-extensive help and notes on my drafts, which I have always looked forward to reading. Asking you to be on my committee was one of the smartest things I've ever done. Suzanne, I have had the wonderful opportunity to bask in your shadow in multiple ways: as a teacher, as a supervisor, and as Director of the Centre itself. Your hard work and brilliance have inspired and guided me in all three spheres. You are the embodiment of the kind of scholar, teacher, and administrator I want to be, and I am so grateful for your time and help while you positively shone in all three roles. And to the fourth (pseudo-)member of my committee, Will Robins, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and support over the years. It was such a pleasure to TA for you twice! And last, but absolutely not least, David, you are the reason I am here at all. Thank you for your Chaucer class, one of the single greatest experiences of my undergraduate career, which turned me on to medieval studies in the first place. Thank you for taking me on as a student and setting the bar so high. Every single time I have left your office, I have been re-inspired and reinvigorated in my topic. I could not have stuck with it for so many years otherwise. Your wisdom, insight, and most importantly, your wit, have helped me through many an intellectual and emotional knot. You are the best supervisor I could have asked for, and have been a constant inspiration as a iv thinker and as a human being. I cannot thank you enough for your consistent support and patient guidance. This thesis could never have happened without you. Fourth, I have eternal gratitude for the wonderful community at the Centre, where I was especially blessed to find not one but four best friends. Madeleine Elson, you're my shining star, thank you so much for reading and commenting on my dissertation. I couldn’t have done it without you! Kasandra Castle, we're buddies for life. Thank you to both of you for reading my work and guiding me along the way! Sasha Gorjeltchan, thank you for keeping me sane and going to the gym with me to work out our stresses. Ben Durham, I cannot express what your incredible emotional support and sense of humour have meant to me. Thanks for getting me out of the bed in the morning and inspiring me with your energy and dedication. Most importantly, thank you for reading my dissertation for typos! A final huge thank you to the entire graduate community, whom I got to know better during the 2015 strike. Solidarity forever! Keep fighting the fight, CUPE 3902. Fifth, thank you to all of my students throughout these years at U of T. I have had the most wonderful experience as a teacher, and I learned more from all of you than you did from me. Your diversity of ideas, voices, and talents has greatly inspired and challenged me, especially to justify the field and why we do what we do. Sixth, to my family, Mom, Dad, Emily, I love you all so much and I don't deserve any of you. I will never be out of your debt. Thank you for your support, spiritually, emotionally, financially, psychologically, etc., and especially for putting up with me and my moods. Thank you also to my entire extended family, both Coyles and Wetmores, especially my godparents, Laurie McDonald and Charles Coyle. Your support and interest in my topic have meant the world to me. And, finally, Alison Coyle, I'm lumping you under family. Words cannot express what a great friend you've been to me. Thanks for taking me for walks and drives, listening to my rants, giving me hilarious and real advice, buying me tea and food every time we go out, and helping me through all of the hard times. Thank you for visiting me in the hospital every day when I was stuck there. I love you! Finally, thank you to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Medieval Academy of America for their financial support in completing this dissertation. s.d.g. v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS vi INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER ONE 16 Erotic Tropology: The Semiotics of the Gaze in Aelred of Rievaulx’s De institutione inclusarum and De Iesu puero duodenni CHAPTER TWO 61 Knowledge in the Hands: Carnal Reading in John Whiterig’s Meditacio ad Crucifixum CHAPTER THREE 112 ‘Wrastlyng wiþ þat blynde nou3t’: Binding and Blinding in The Cloud of Unknowing CHAPTER FOUR 155 ‘It were all God’: The Hermeneutic of “Oning” in Julian of Norwich’s Parable of the Lord and Servant CONCLUSION 192 Eros as Metonym BIBLIOGRAPHY 199 vi INTRODUCTION This dissertation explores the way four medieval English devotional writers utilize the hermeneutic tools of medieval biblical exegesis, in order to frame their embodied and erotic affect for the divine, in Latin and Middle English, ranging from the late twelfth to the early fifteenth centuries. These four authors—Aelred of Rievaulx (died 1167 CE), John Whiterig (died 1371 CE), The Cloud of Unknowing author (late 1300s CE), and Julian of Norwich (died 1416 CE)—invite literal understandings of their sensual depictions of devotion to Christ, by manipulating the connection between literal and allegorical (or bodily and spiritual) meanings, in order to craft a relationship with the divine that is not divested of the erotic language that describes it. The carnal imagery that is used to incite desire for the divine, and to describe the connection between humanity and the divine, is not merely a metaphor or vehicle for an abstract or spiritual tenor. The desiring body is not sublimated under a spiritualized or allegorical truth; rather, the truths espoused in and by this erotic language are incarnated, and reach their fullest meaning in the longing bodies of both speaker and reader.