By: Siena Di Sera
Like Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe cunningly used the opening created by the lifestyle of anchoresses and religious mystics within the late medieval period to assert her dominance and independence within theology. Through her seeming humility, Margery Kempe establishes her theological visions as prophetic. Her manipulations of gender switch many of the characteristics that priorly were neatly organized into the dichotomy of male and female. She also used Christianity to express spiritual and sexual freedom, bringing her husband into the world of her visions and asserting her lack of consent.
As noted earlier, religious women who wished to become leaders in faith through their visions must craft their work extremely carefully. Due to the prejudices and stereotypes already running rampant throughout medieval society, the way through which their narratives were crafted were vital to their receptions. In keeping with Julian of Norwich, Marjery Kempe exemplifies extreme humility and even self deprecation through referring to herself as “creature” (pg 433). She introduces herself much like Julian of Norwich, stating her age and her disposition. Marjery Kempe, though, begins her narrative with much more self criticism than does Julian of Norwich. She speaks of how the devil has tempted her, and how she must have penance alone to be forgiven.
How did Kempe view the gender dichotomy?
In terms of Kempe’s manipulation of gender, she does embody many of the values traditionally associated with women. She is extremely emotional, often breaking out into tears within her work. She is a mother and a wife. However, she does not take on the typical submissive role that a wife would have been expected to at the time. She informs her husband that she no longer wishes to have sex, and this assertion of power is both shocking yet also extremely cunning in the way the narrative has been set out. Because Kempe began her story with an explanation of her wish to be pure and do penance, her renouncement of sexual activity with her husband is disguised under the light of religion and purity, and Kempe, a woman, makes a key decision about her body.
Through this first denial of her husband through chastity, a door is opened to sexual freedom within theology. Kempe describes that she now wears a white dress, a sign of virginity; she has been revirginized in the eyes of the Lord. Whereas Julian of Norwich mixes the gender dichotomy, Kempe flips it. Margery Kempe makes the executive decisions within her marriage and achieves theological prowess within intellectual circles, perhaps introducing proto feminist views on marriage and sexuality which echo the modern ideals of consent and choice for women’s bodies. Her interactions with God himself become marital and even sexual. Kempe has not manipulated the gendered idea of the Lord and Son, but makes independent and self defining moves within her femininity through religious mystic narrative.
Images:
Jokinen, Anninna. “An Illumination from M.S. Royal 15 D 1.” Luminarium.org, 1996, www.luminarium.org/medlit/kempebk.htm.
“Margery Kempe.” Book of Days Tales, 9 Nov. 2016, www.bookofdaystales.com/tag/pilgrimage/.