“As thu wer a wedow”: Margery Kempe's Wifehood and Widowhood

Author: Williams, Tara1

Source: Exemplaria, Volume 21, Number 4, Winter 2009 , pp. 345-362(18)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

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Abstract:

Representations of maidenhood and wifehood in The Book of Margery Kempe have overshadowed Margery's careful use of widowhood. This essay examines how she manipulates narrative time and traditional female social roles to forge a new identity for herself between chaste wife and independent widow. Selectively drawing from both of those types, she licenses herself as a female writer and spiritual authority. This literary strategy demonstrates that the Book has a significant aesthetic dimension, which Margery substantially shaped.

Keywords: MARGERY KEMPE; NARRATIVE THEORY; TEMPORALITY; WIFEHOOD; WIDOWHOOD

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1179/175330709X449080

Affiliations: 1: Oregon State University

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