Texts, topoi and the self
A reading of Alfredian spirituality
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12279348 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Scott DeGregorio (University of Michigan–Dearborn, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 79-96 |
| Publication date | 2005-01-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Early Medieval Europe (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0963-9462 • E-ISSN: 1468-0254 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-0254.2005.00149.x |
| OpenAlex | W1592575009 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
Challenging the allegation that Alfred's spirituality as Asser presents it is no more than a string of textual fictions, this article outlines a context for understanding Alfred's spirituality as a functional process of living texts, or of ‘textualizing’ the self. The discussion first draws support for this view from the history of early medieval spirituality and then demonstrates the theme's relevance both to Asser's representation of Alfred and to the king's own writings. Attention is given especially to the congruence between Alfred's depiction in the Life and Gregory the Great's teachings on the ideal rector as propounded in the Pastoral Care, a text carefully read and famously translated by Alfred himself. The comparison suggests that the main spiritual models for Alfred's kingly piety may be understood to reside in, and to involve assimilation of, this work of Gregory, making it possible to conceptualize the king's self-presentation in terms of a conscious project to ‘live’ Gregory's text by bringing the ideals of the Gregorian rector to life in his own person. Such an argument helps to explain Alfred's interest in Gregory, to account for his concern to translate the Pastoral Care, and to legitimize the predominant images associated with the king's spirituality as indicative of a kind of functional piety grounded in the reading of texts, rather than simply reflected, perhaps falsely, in Asser’s Life
Aesthetics · Art · Context (archaeology · Depiction · Linguistics · Literature · Piety · Reading (process · Spirituality · Theme (computing · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies · History · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy · Religious studies
Illness, power and prayer in Asser's Life of King Alfred
The writing of history at King Alfred's court
Wealth and Wisdom in King Alfred's Preface to the Old English Pastoral Care
The illnesses of King Alfred the Great
The Literary Form of Asser's ‘Vita Alfredi’
The Self and Literary Experience in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Reading, Writing, and the Self
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |