The Book of Margery Kempe

Ah, Margery Kempe -- what a delightful crazy woman.

Anyhow, the bio rundown: Margery Kempe (c. 1378-post 1438) was born in Bishop's Lynn (now King's Lynn) in Norfolk, the daughter of a prominent merchant. She married John Kempe and had her first child around the age of 20. The pregnancy didn't go well, and after delivering the child, Margery was so ill she thought she would die. She summons a priest to confess in preparation for death, but his inopportune remonstrations prevent her from confessing completely. The resultant guilt and fear drive her to despair and madness, and visions of tormenting and tempting devils. Eventually, after being restrained in her room for a time, Christ appears to her in a vision, asking why she has forsaken him, since he never abandoned her. This is the first of her many visions of Christ, as well as other saintly and angelic figures.

Some high points:

* She's got a thing about sex: it tempts her and disgusts her. She loathes to have sex with her husband, wishing to remain chaste; her 14 children indicate that John Kempe wasn't sympathetic with that wish for some time. Eventually, through canny (and divinely-guided) negotiations, John agrees to a mutual chastity pact. However, at one point she is tempted by the possibility of adultery with a man in her town, who first propositions her, then rejects her: she understand this as a test of her chastity by the man himself. Later in life, after the chastity pact, Margery undergoes a time of temptation, in which she has visions of men displaying their bits for her, arousing both lust and repulsion. Nobody read her the Song of Solomon!

* She's Jesus's favorite, apparently. The recurring theme of her visions is that Jesus loves her very much, and that He will do anything on her behalf. She wears a ring with the inscription "Jesus est amor meus" -- "Jesus is my love". In one vision, she actually marries God, with the Father reciting vows and everything. One creepy thing: she seems quite smitten with Jesus's humanity, resisting marriage to the Godhead out of loyalty to the incarnate Son. Does this have anything to do with the previous observations re: sex and male bodies?

* She relishes suffering, whether physical pain and deprivation or social abuse. For years she wore a hair shirt under her shift (including during sex) until Jesus told her to get rid of it: instead, He gives her a "hair shirt in her heart", the gift of true contrition and repentance. She fasts regularly, and in several periods refuses meat and wine. Whenever she is insulted, she rejoices, since she is suffering for the love of Christ.

* She can't stop crying. In mass, she cries. Hearing sermons or scripture, she cries. Visiting shrines, she cries. Having visions, seeing babies or young men, or just for no good reason at all, she sobs like a stricken child. Often she lies on the ground and thrashes about in her grief. She says God gave her the gift of tears; everyone else thinks she's possessed.

* She craves the approval of religious authorities, seeking out famous priests, anchorites, and abbots to tell them of her visions. For the most part, those who give her a hearing seem to accept the authenticity of her experiences. At the same time, many clerics and most of the common people view her as a dangerous heretic (Lollard) and threaten to imprison or burn her. She undergoes multiple hearings before various clerical authorities who test her doctrinal orthodoxy; she always passes with flying colors.

* The parable of the pear tree and the bear reminds me of some of Piers Plowman's comments about hypocritical clergy who aren't mindful of their duties, mouthing the rituals but not sincerely believing or practicing. This parable is also generically closer to PP than Margery's visions, in my opinion.