Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Record Number: 5367 Author(s)/Creator(s): Contributor(s): Title: An Analysis of Power in the Writing of Mechtild of Magdeburg Source: Feminist Theology 14, 2 ( 2006): Pages 189 - 204. Description: Article Type: Journal Article Subject (See Also): Ecclesiastical Reform Helfta, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany- Monastery Humility Mechthild von Magdeburg, Mystic Mystics Power Rhetoric Women in Religion Award Note: Geographic Area: Germany Century: 13 Primary Evidence: Illustrations: Table: Abstract: This essay provides an analysis of the theme of power in the text of the mystic Mechtild of Magdeburg (1207?-1282), The Flowing Light of the Godhead (FLD). The author examines how this mediaeval woman learned to be an adroit shaper of power in her own life; how she understood the effects of corrupt clergy who persecuted her; how she directly faced corrupt power figures; how she used the rhetoric of femininity to subvert the more obvious power structures; how she gathered male friends and clerics around her to legitimate her work; and how she skilfully negotiated the complex religious labyrinth of orthodoxy in her day. This essay provides an analysis of her engagement and (dis)entanglement of power relations, whether through her actions, her mystical work, or her direct discourse on the topic in Book VI of her text. Related Resources: Author's Affiliation: Conference Info: - , - Year of Publication: 2006. Language: English ISSN/ISBN: 09667350

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