All the World's a Stage: Performance and Performativity in Medieval England
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Program in Medieval Studies, Cornell Univ.
Organizer Name
Rachel E. Grabowski, Kaylin Myers
Organizer Affiliation
Cornell Univ., Cornell Univ.
Presider Name
Rachel E. Grabowski
Paper Title 1
Happy Wife, Happy Life: Performing Female Moral Authority in The Pride of Life
Presenter 1 Name
John T. Sebastian
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Loyola Univ. New Orleans
Paper Title 2
The Performance of Self and the Production of Space in The Book of Margery Kempe
Presenter 2 Name
Meisha Lohmann
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Binghamton Univ.
Paper Title 3
Play Time's Over: Robin Hood Revels and Riots in Late Medieval England
Presenter 3 Name
Marybeth Ruether-Wu
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Cornell Univ.
Paper Title 4
Performing Prayer in Late Medieval England
Presenter 4 Name
Paul Holchak
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Graduate Center, CUNY
Start Date
15-5-2015 10:00 AM
Session Location
Bernhard 212
Description
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England says that the Visitatio Sepulchri from the Regularis Concordia “marks the beginning of liturgical drama in England.” This panel recognizes, however, that there are other moments of dramatic narrative or performative force in early English literature. We are interested in questions that these dramatic moments raise, such as: how is performance used to construct identity, both individually and communally? What classical or broader European traditions do these dramatic moments draw upon or stem from? What social or religious bonds are created or enforced by these moments? And how are these moments of drama or performance devotionally productive for both readers and listeners? In an effort to address these and other questions raised by performance in Old or Middle English literature, we welcome papers on any of the following topics and related subjects; drama and pseudo drama, liturgy, secular ritual, oaths, speeches, dialogues, ekphrasis, preaching, processions, public prayer, and public penance.
Kaylin Myers
All the World's a Stage: Performance and Performativity in Medieval England
Bernhard 212
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England says that the Visitatio Sepulchri from the Regularis Concordia “marks the beginning of liturgical drama in England.” This panel recognizes, however, that there are other moments of dramatic narrative or performative force in early English literature. We are interested in questions that these dramatic moments raise, such as: how is performance used to construct identity, both individually and communally? What classical or broader European traditions do these dramatic moments draw upon or stem from? What social or religious bonds are created or enforced by these moments? And how are these moments of drama or performance devotionally productive for both readers and listeners? In an effort to address these and other questions raised by performance in Old or Middle English literature, we welcome papers on any of the following topics and related subjects; drama and pseudo drama, liturgy, secular ritual, oaths, speeches, dialogues, ekphrasis, preaching, processions, public prayer, and public penance.
Kaylin Myers