TY - BOOK AU - Donavin,Georgiana TI - Scribit Mater: Mary and the language arts in the literature of medieval England SN - 9780813219431 AV - PR275.M34 D66 2012eb U1 - 820.9/351 23 PY - 2012/// CY - Washington, D.C. PB - Catholic University of America Press KW - Mary, KW - Marie, KW - Maria. KW - Christian literature, English (Middle) KW - History and criticism KW - English literature KW - Middle English, 1100-1500 KW - Latin literature, Medieval and modern KW - England KW - Communication in literature KW - Rhetoric, Medieval KW - Language arts KW - History KW - To 1500 KW - Littérature chrétienne anglaise (moyen anglais) KW - Histoire et critique KW - Littérature anglaise KW - 1100-1500 (Moyen anglais) KW - Littérature latine médiévale et moderne KW - Angleterre KW - Communication dans la littérature KW - Rhétorique médiévale KW - LITERARY CRITICISM KW - European KW - English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh KW - bisacsh KW - Medieval KW - fast KW - Middle English KW - Literature KW - Symbolism KW - Christliche Literatur KW - gnd KW - Mittelenglisch KW - swd KW - Mittellatein KW - Criticism, interpretation, etc N1 - Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-309) and index; The English lives of Mary -- John of Garland, gram/marian -- The musical mother tongue in Anglo-Latin poetry for meditation -- Chaucer and dame school -- Mary's mild voice in the Middle English lyrics -- Margery Kempe and the virgin birth of her book N2 - "Mary, Mother of the Word, became an icon for excellent communication during the English Middle Ages. This engaging work explores the literature that established Mary as headmistress of the liberal arts and exemplar of perfected speech. Given England's rich and extended practices of Marian piety, Georgiana Donavin focuses her research solely on English writers from the Anglo-Saxon period through the late Middle Ages. Through the writings of John of Garland, John of Howden, Chaucer, Gower, Lydgate, Margery Kempe, and several anonymous lyricists and playwrights, Donavin illuminates Mary's position as the great teacher of trivium studies and muse of various discourses. Scribit Mater begins with a survey of medieval English representations of the Virgin Mary as a wise and studious woman. It demonstrates how diverse authors imagined the Virgin's holy speech to be the highest sign of her wisdom. These authors venerated Mary as a Christian Lady Rhetorica because they were taught to read and compose by studying Marian services and hymns, they heard Mary's mellifluous speech in renderings of the Magnificat and other popular lyrics, or they saw the Virgin Birth as the purest articulation of the Word. They appropriated Mary's rhetorical powers in many forms: in university textbooks teaching students to imitate the Virgin's oratory, in meditations describing the Virgin's body as a holy grammar, in short lyrics extolling the Virgin's beautiful voice, in long narrative verse seeking the Virgin's inspiration and illumination, and more. While Scribit Mater highlights different medieval English understandings of the Virgin's sapient eloquence according to class, education, and gender, it demonstrates long-standing and widespread traditions acknowledging and celebrating the Mother's verbal prowess."--Jacket UR - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=493603 ER -