Cultures of Compunction in the Medieval World

Description

Compunction was one of the most important emotions for medieval Christianity; in fact, through its confessional function, compunction became the primary means for an affective sinner to gain redemption. Cultures of Compunction in the Medieval World explores how such emotion could be expressed, experienced and performed in medieval European society. Using a range of disciplinary approaches – including history, philosophy, art history, literary studies, performance studies and linguistics – this book examines how and why emotions which now form the bedrock of modern western culture were idealized in the Middle Ages. By bringing together expertise across disciplines and medieval languages, this important book demonstrates the ubiquity and impact of compunction for medieval life and makes wider connections between devotional, secular and quotidian areas of experience. Cover Contents List of illustrations Notes on contributors Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Graham Williams and Charlotte Steenbrugge 1 Crying out with the compunction of the Prodigal Son: Byzantine hymns, liturgical emotions and icons of repentance Andrew Mellas 2 Repenting in their own words: Old English vocabulary for compunction, contrition and penitence Daria Izdebska 3 A concept without relevance? Compunction in Old Norse-Icelandic literature Roland Scheel 4 William of Auvergne and compunction: Describing the world through metaphors Béatrice Delaurenti 5 Seawater in flame: Compunction in the Lambeth and Trinity homilies Ayoush Lazikani 6 The expression of remorse in Old and Middle French literature Corinne Denoyelle 7 Peter’s three tears Véronique Plesch Notes Bibliography Index