Margery Kempe, Pioneering Mysticism and Autobiography in Medieval English Literature

The English woman Margery Kempe ( 1373- 1438) is known for a unique work of medieval mysticism and autobiography entitled The Book of Margery Kempe, which reports her vividly experienced vision's sole source, renewal by God. Margery, born in Bishop's Lynn (King's Lynn) grew up within the wealth of a merchant family and was married to John Kempe with whom she had at least 14 children. It would be her subsequent spiritual journey and writings that defined her legacy.

Margery began to experience these mystical visions when she was in her thirties and they were quite dramatic --- full of sights, sounds, smells that Margery shared with an impassioned fervor. Her divine messages and the conversations she had with Christ and Virgin Mary became what her literature were based off. One of the most comprehensive English autobiographies is "The Book of Margery Kempe" (written c. 1438-40).This is a remarkable, first-person account of her encounters and the contemplation they have evoked.

The book is significant both in content and as a linguistics title. A Middle English text, The Book of Margery Kempe gives the reader an unparalleled look into contemporary vernacular language and literary practices. Her use of English to describe spiritual experiences is seen as particularly imaginative and her work was considered a pivotal text in the development of writing in English, notably for its control over language at this time.

Margery describes her own pilgrimages to various shrines throughout Europe, especially in the holy cities of Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Throughout her travels, these mystical experiences referenced in passages rich with plant and ornithological descriptions are framed within a narrative of feelings linked to worship. Her stories of these pilgrimages thus add to its worth as a spiritual and cultural record that reflects the religious life of the time, but also how people traveled.

Subject to some degree of scepticism and censure by her contemporaries, the works penned down (or commissioned) by Margery Kempe rank as a significant contribution not only in English literature but also within mystic texts. But "The Book of Margery Kempe" is an indispensable text for anyone interested in obtaining a nuanced understanding of late medieval spirituality and gender roles, or the earliest stirrings produced by the cultivation and development of autobiographical writing in English. But her groundbreaking vernacular poetry and candid portrayal of her spiritual life have ensured her an enduring place in the history of literature, to which scholars continue to return.The English woman Margery Kempe ( 1373- 1438) is known for a unique work of medieval mysticism and autobiography entitled The Book of Margery Kempe, which reports her vividly experienced vision's sole source, renewal by God. Margery, born in Bishop's Lynn (King's Lynn) grew up within the wealth of a merchant family and was married to John Kempe with whom she had at least 14 children. It would be her subsequent spiritual journey and writings that defined her legacy.

Margery began to experience these mystical visions when she was in her thirties and they were quite dramatic --- full of sights, sounds, smells that Margery shared with an impassioned fervor. Her divine messages and the conversations she had with Christ and Virgin Mary became what her literature were based off. One of the most comprehensive English autobiographies is "The Book of Margery Kempe" (written c. 1438-40).This is a remarkable, first-person account of her encounters and the contemplation they have evoked.

The book is significant both in content and as a linguistics title. A Middle English text, The Book of Margery Kempe gives the reader an unparalleled look into contemporary vernacular language and literary practices. Her use of English to describe spiritual experiences is seen as particularly imaginative and her work was considered a pivotal text in the development of writing in English, notably for its control over language at this time.

Margery describes her own pilgrimages to various shrines throughout Europe, especially in the holy cities of Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Throughout her travels, these mystical experiences referenced in passages rich with plant and ornithological descriptions are framed within a narrative of feelings linked to worship. Her stories of these pilgrimages thus add to its worth as a spiritual and cultural record that reflects the religious life of the time, but also how people traveled.

Subject to some degree of scepticism and censure by her contemporaries, the works penned down (or commissioned) by Margery Kempe rank as a significant contribution not only in English literature but also within mystic texts. But "The Book of Margery Kempe" is an indispensable text for anyone interested in obtaining a nuanced understanding of late medieval spirituality and gender roles, or the earliest stirrings produced by the cultivation and development of autobiographical writing in English. But her groundbreaking vernacular poetry and candid portrayal of her spiritual life have ensured her an enduring place in the history of literature, to which scholars continue to return.