Emotion and Devotion: The Meaning of Mary in Medieval Religious Cultures Book

This penetrating explanation of medieval European religious experience is a revealing description of how Mary became so embedded in our culture that it is impossible to conceive of Western history without her. Draws on a wide range of sources--including music, poetry, theology, art, scripture, and miracle tales. Of three chapters the first, The Global Middle Ages, considers the current historiographical frame for the study of religious cultures and suggests ways in which our practice can be made more global. Mary, and the Others examines the polemical situations around Mary, and the location of Mustims and Jews within them. The third chapter, Emotions and Selves, tracks the sentimental education experienced by Europeans through devotional encounters with the figure of the Virgin Mary in word, image and sound. Each year one scholar of world fame is invited to present lectures in the framework of the Natalie Zemon Davis Annual Lecture Series at the Central European University, Budapest. This is the second volume in the series of published lectures.