Please join the Friends of the Saints and the Medieval Studies Certificate Program on Friday, October 12, at 7 p.m. in Room 6494 of the CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Ave.) for the following paper:

Christina Carlson
Associate Professor of English,  Iona College
“Hagiographic Authority and Household Imagery in the 15th-century English Life of St. Radegund”

The late Middle English life of St. Radegund is a mysterious text: not only is it anonymous, but it is also unclear as to why it was written and printed at the very same time that the only major foundation dedicated to the saint—the Benedictine women’s community of St. Radegund’s Cambridge, was dissolved and converted to Jesus College. The answers to both questions of authorship and intention may be found in the work of Henry Bradshaw, Benedictine monk at St. Werburge’s, who wrote the Middle English life of his patron saint.

In this paper, I will first demonstrate how the life of Werburge is central to establishing both the authorship of the life of Radegund, in particular through the use of computer assisted analysis and author attribution programs. Second, I will consider the thematic connections between the two texts, in particular, the way in which Bradshaw’s ideal of household order creates a space for lay, and especially female, householders to imagine a type of spiritual authority based within the domestic context in which they themselves operated. Finally, I will examine the network of social connections that ultimately links the two works, and how the connection between the two lives lies in the social and political changes occurring at the start of the young Tudor dynasty.

Please let us know whether you will be coming (affirmative RSVPs only).  We look forward to seeing you!