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Virgin Whore

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Title: Virgin Whore
Description: In Virgin Whore, Emma Maggie Solberg uncovers a surprisingly prevalent theme in late English medieval literature and culture: the celebration of the Virgin Mary's sexuality. Although history is narrated as a progressive loss of innocence, the Madonna has grown purer with each passing century. Looking to a period before the idea of her purity and virginity had ossified, Solberg uncovers depictions and interpretations of Mary, discernible in jokes and insults, icons and rituals, prayers and revelations, allegories and typologies—and in late medieval vernacular biblical drama.More unmistakable than any cultural artifact from late medieval England, these biblical plays do not exclusively interpret Mary and her virginity as fragile. In a collection of plays known as the N-Town manuscript, Mary is represented not only as virgin and mother but as virgin and promiscuous adulteress, dallying with the Trinity, the archangel Gabriel, and mortals in kaleidoscopic erotic combinations. Mary's'virginity'signifies invulnerability rather than fragility, redemption rather than renunciation, and merciful license rather than ascetic discipline. Taking the ancient slander that Mary conceived Jesus in sin as cause for joyful laughter, the N-Town plays make a virtue of those accusations: through bawdy yet divine comedy, she redeems and exalts the crime.By revealing the presence of this promiscuous Virgin in early English drama and late medieval literature and culture—in dirty jokes told by Boccaccio and Chaucer, Malory's Arthurian romances, and the double entendres of the allegorical Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn—Solberg provides a new understanding of Marian traditions.
Authors: Emma Maggie Solberg
Resource Type: eBook.
Subjects: Women--England--History--Middle Ages, 500-1500, Christian drama, English (Middle)--History and criticism, English literature--Middle English, 1100-1500--History and criticism, Sex--England--History--To 1500
Categories: LITERARY CRITICISM / Medieval, RELIGION / Christian Theology / Mariology, RELIGION / Sexuality & Gender Studies
Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
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DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
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PubType: eBook
PubTypeId: ebook
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  Data: In Virgin Whore, Emma Maggie Solberg uncovers a surprisingly prevalent theme in late English medieval literature and culture: the celebration of the Virgin Mary's sexuality. Although history is narrated as a progressive loss of innocence, the Madonna has grown purer with each passing century. Looking to a period before the idea of her purity and virginity had ossified, Solberg uncovers depictions and interpretations of Mary, discernible in jokes and insults, icons and rituals, prayers and revelations, allegories and typologies—and in late medieval vernacular biblical drama.More unmistakable than any cultural artifact from late medieval England, these biblical plays do not exclusively interpret Mary and her virginity as fragile. In a collection of plays known as the N-Town manuscript, Mary is represented not only as virgin and mother but as virgin and promiscuous adulteress, dallying with the Trinity, the archangel Gabriel, and mortals in kaleidoscopic erotic combinations. Mary's'virginity'signifies invulnerability rather than fragility, redemption rather than renunciation, and merciful license rather than ascetic discipline. Taking the ancient slander that Mary conceived Jesus in sin as cause for joyful laughter, the N-Town plays make a virtue of those accusations: through bawdy yet divine comedy, she redeems and exalts the crime.By revealing the presence of this promiscuous Virgin in early English drama and late medieval literature and culture—in dirty jokes told by Boccaccio and Chaucer, Malory's Arthurian romances, and the double entendres of the allegorical Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn—Solberg provides a new understanding of Marian traditions.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Classifications:
      – Code: 820.9351
        Scheme: ddc
        Type: prePub
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Women--England--History--Middle Ages, 500-1500
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Christian drama, English (Middle)--History and criticism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: English literature--Middle English, 1100-1500--History and criticism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex--England--History--To 1500
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Virgin Whore
        Type: main
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Emma Maggie Solberg
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Emma Maggie Solberg
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2018
            – D: 20
              M: 11
              Type: profile
              Y: 2018
          Identifiers:
            – Type: isbn-print
              Value: 9781501730337
            – Type: isbn-print
              Value: 9781501730351
            – Type: isbn-electronic
              Value: 9781501730344
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Virgin Whore
              Type: main
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