Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 2833
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Sprung , Andrew.
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: The Inverted Metaphor: Earthly Mothering as "Figura" of Divine Love in Julian of Norwich's "Book of Showings"
  • Source: Medieval Mothering.  Edited by John Carmi Parsons and Bonnie Wheeler.  Garland Publishing, 1996.  Pages 183 - 199.
  • Description:
  • Article Type: Essay
  • Subject (See Also): Jesus Christ as Mother Julian of Norwich, Mystic Mystics Psychoanalytic Theory Women in Religion
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: British Isles
  • Century: 14- 15
  • Primary Evidence:
  • Illustrations: The child-before-the-mother stance was a late medieval strategy to establish a safe field for inquiry into the nature of human desire, will, and perception. For Julian, this field is literally the body of Mother Jesus; since God is "verily" our mother, an earthly mother's teaching, protection, and suffering are imperfect figura of God's absolute nurturance. [Reproduced by permission of Garland Publishing.]
  • Table:
  • Abstract:
  • Author's Affiliation: D'Youville College
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 1996.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN/ISBN: 0815323417