Devotional Luxury, Literary Necessity
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Harvard English Dept. Medieval Colloquium
Organizer Name
Helen Cushman, Erica Weaver
Organizer Affiliation
Harvard Univ., Harvard Univ.
Presider Name
Anna Kelner
Presider Affiliation
Harvard Univ.
Paper Title 1
Un-Break My Heart: Metaphoric Luxury, Affect, and Performance in Devotional Lyrics
Presenter 1 Name
Annika Pattenaude
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Univ. of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Paper Title 2
Gawain's Social Piety and Green Garbage
Presenter 2 Name
Casey Ireland
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Virginia
Paper Title 3
Devotional Content and Manuscript Form: Material Metaphors and Aesthetic Status in the Katherine Group
Presenter 3 Name
Jenny C. Bledsoe
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Emory Univ.
Paper Title 4
Forms of Luxury: Devotional Necessity in the Late Medieval Book of Hours
Presenter 4 Name
Jessica Brantley
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Yale Univ.
Start Date
13-5-2017 10:00 AM
Session Location
Schneider 2345
Description
"Devotional Luxury, Literary Necessity” When we call a text “literary,” we often identify its literariness as a kind of “excess.” The literary exceeds necessity—it is a kind of luxury meant to be enjoyed for its own sake. Devotional texts, in contrast, are often considered “devotional” because of their intended use—they are objects used for religious worship. In short, unlike a literary text, a devotional text is a means to an end rather than an end in itself. What do we mean, then, when we call devotional books—such as books of hours—“luxury” items? Do “devotional” texts cease to be merely devotional when they exceed necessity or functionality in form, in performance, or in material presentation? Or is luxury an end—or a condition—for devotional reading? How do we describe the “excesses” of devotional books and, by the same token, how do we describe what we might call the “necessities” of the literary? This panel invites new research about luxury and necessity as they relate to literary and devotional reading culture.
Helen Cushman
Devotional Luxury, Literary Necessity
Schneider 2345
"Devotional Luxury, Literary Necessity” When we call a text “literary,” we often identify its literariness as a kind of “excess.” The literary exceeds necessity—it is a kind of luxury meant to be enjoyed for its own sake. Devotional texts, in contrast, are often considered “devotional” because of their intended use—they are objects used for religious worship. In short, unlike a literary text, a devotional text is a means to an end rather than an end in itself. What do we mean, then, when we call devotional books—such as books of hours—“luxury” items? Do “devotional” texts cease to be merely devotional when they exceed necessity or functionality in form, in performance, or in material presentation? Or is luxury an end—or a condition—for devotional reading? How do we describe the “excesses” of devotional books and, by the same token, how do we describe what we might call the “necessities” of the literary? This panel invites new research about luxury and necessity as they relate to literary and devotional reading culture.
Helen Cushman