The hermeneutics of distraction in early medieval England /
Distraction is now too easily considered a metonym for modern consciousness, but it was also a medieval concern, which posed a particular threat to religious life. Distraction opened the door to all other temptations, & most disturbingly of all for the monastic communities at the heart of this b...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
[2025]
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| Series: | Oxford studies in medieval literature and culture.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | Distraction is now too easily considered a metonym for modern consciousness, but it was also a medieval concern, which posed a particular threat to religious life. Distraction opened the door to all other temptations, & most disturbingly of all for the monastic communities at the heart of this book it invalidated central devotional acts like reading, praying, & reciting the Psalms. Far from an innocuous sensation, distraction posed a significant spiritual danger. It also generated powerful countervailing responses in literature, pedagogy, & religious observance, profoundly shaping literary interpretation in the process. This text writes this cultural & intellectual history. It comes at the topic of distraction through the study of the affective practices of a particular community of writers & readers: the influential circle of Æthelwold (Bishop of Winchester, 963-984). |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xxx, 256 pages) : illustrations. |
| Audience: | Specialized. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780198922124 0198922124 9780198922100 0198922108 9780198922117 0198922116 |