 |
 |
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture >>> [log in to unmask] 11/30/01 16:53 PM >>> Dear Martha, Sorry to have waited to the last minute. I wanted to submit a paper presentation for possible inclusion at the Conference on Female Spirituality at Pacific University. My paper is entitled, "The Soul's Love for God: Erotic Language as a Solution to Ineffability," and it follows ideas I'm developing in a longer work. My scholarly interests are medieval literature and the way it deals with the inadequacies of spoken language, and for the last few years I've been researching and thinking about how the erotic language used in affective mysticism is an attempt to solidify one's meaning when speaking of god by tying language's signification to bodily experiences of rapture and delight*often not only sensual but erotic language. I would primarily like to discuss how medieval contemplative writers use sexual imagery to make real the ineffable experience of divine revelation. I would not only be discussing female mystics ( Like Julian of Norwich or Margery Kempe) because male mystics (like Richard Rolle) often discuss their love affair with god in sensual images. Owing to the soul being gendered feminine for many medieval commentators, male mystics often refer to God's ravishing of their spirit in terms which identify them as female. This intermixing of masculine and feminine traits is most apparent in the numerous moments in accounts of mystical experiences when the mystic changes the physical metaphor for her/his experience of god. (A good example of this is the switch from god as Lover to that of god as nursing child.) Often, the ineffability of a mystic's experience and his/her desire to convey that inexpressible meaning paradoxically oblige the mystic to rely on sensory and sesual images. Mystics often find that powerful emotional and erotic imagery (a very worldly and physical language) most closely parallels their intense, supernatural experiences. In a manner similar to mystics' observations about the ineffability of divine visions, many writers have recognized the difficulty of conveying powerful emotions adequately. It is not surprising that mystics are sometimes tempted to discuss their inexplicable relationship with God by using language typically reserved for discussions of love and sex. Evocative and worldly images allow readers to equate the mystics' ineffable divine revelations with its closest earthly counterpart, the readers' own sexual and sensual experiences. Thanks, Rick McDonald, Ph.D. Department of English Utah Valley State College 800 West University Parkway Orem, Utah, 84058 (801) 222-8365 [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 10/15/01 06:14PM >>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture CALL FOR PARTICIPATION Papers, Performances, Presentations CONFERENCE ON FEMALE SPIRITUALITY Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon Co-Sponsor: Central Pacific Conference of the UCC March 15-17, 2002. Keynote Address: Dr. Mary Daly; "The Burning Times Revisited--Rekindling the fire of Radical Ecological Feminism" Respondents: panel of women from a variety of religions and/or spiritualities Pacific University's Feminist Studies Program is sponsoring an open conference on female spirituality. Our goal is to create an opportunity to approach an understanding of female spirituality through a variety of discourses and by encouraging dialogue among a wide range of belief, religious, and spiritual systems. Central to the work of the conference is creating and sustaining a radically ecumenical forum for the exploration and development of ideas about female spirituality and its expression. Given the diversity we hope to explore, we are interested in resenting work from a variety of traditions: depending on your medium, send a one-page abstract for academic papers, no more than three slides for art work (two- and 3 three-dimensional), no more than three poems (any form, any tradition), or up to five pages of short fiction, memoir, or personal essay for the program committee's review. Due November 30, 2001 (extended from Oct. 31). Please include your name, postal address, phone number, and e-mail address, and send to: Martha Rampton, History Dept., Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon 97116 or e-mail "[log in to unmask]" ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html