The Middle English Mystics: First published in German under the title: Studien zur englischen Mystik des Mittelalters unter besonderer ... Library Editions: The Medieval World)

Originally published as an English translation in 1981, The Middle English Mystics is a crucial contribution to the study of the literature of English mysticism. This book surveys and analyses the language of metaphor in the writings of such mystics as Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, Julian of Norwich, and in such anonymous works as The Cloud of Unknowing and the Ancrene Wisse. The main emphasis of this comparative and stylistic study is not theological but rather the means by which theological concepts are communicated through language. The book sets the English mystics in perspective by establishing their place in the European mystical movement of the Middle Ages. It shows how intricate the relationship between English, and continental mysticism really is. The book suggests that there is clear links between English and German female mysticism, yet the mysticism&nbsp;is in the main due not so much to specific influences as to the common background of Christian theology and mysticism. on background of Christian theology and mysticism.

The Middle English Mystics (Routledge Library Editions: The Medieval World)

Literature & Fiction

Riehle, Wolfgang

History & Criticism

Routledge

The Secret Within: Hermits, Recluses, and Spiritual Outsiders in Medieval England

Spiritual seekers throughout history have sought illumination through solitary contemplation. In the Christian tradition, medieval England stands out for its remarkable array of hermits, recluses, and spiritual outsiders―from Cuthbert, Godric of Fichale, and Christina of Markyate to Richard Rolle, Julian of Norwich, and Margery Kempe. In The Secret Within, Wolfgang Riehle offers the first comprehensive history of English medieval mysticism in decades―one that will appeal to anyone fascinated by mysticism as a phenomenon of religious life. 
In considering the origins and evolution of the English mystical tradition, Riehle begins in the twelfth century with the revival of eremitical mysticism and the early growth of the Cistercian Order in the British Isles. He then focuses in depth on the great mystics of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries―Richard Rolle (the first great English mystic), the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Walter Hilton, Margery Kempe, and Julian of Norwich. Riehle carefully grounds his narrative in the broader spiritual landscape of the Middle Ages, pointing out both prior influences dating back to Late Antiquity and corresponding developments in mysticism and theology on the Continent. He discusses the problem of possible differences between male and female spirituality and the movement of popularizing mysticism in the late Middle Ages. Filled with fresh insights, The Secret Within will be welcomed especially by teachers and students of medieval literature as well as by those engaged in historical, theological, philosophical, cultural, even anthropological and comparative studies of mysticism.

Cornell University Press

Wolfgang Riehle contends that recent scholarship has exaggerated theinfluence on Shakespeare of the native popular tradition, at theexpense of a full understanding of the importance that Roman, particularly Plautine, comedy would have had for an Elizabethan dramatist. Shakespeare is shown to have considered Plautus, as did the Renaissance humanists, a dramatist of great qualities from whom much could be learned. The study concentrates on Shakespeare's Comedy of Errorsand its two Plautine sources, the Menaechmi and Amphitruo. Riehle's approach reveals Shakespeare's relation to his sources and his idea of comedy in a new light. The later plays are examined in this context. Riehle also argues for the continuation in recognisable form of the New Comedy tradition throughout the middle ages and into the Renaissance.WOLFEGANG RIEHLE is Professor of English literature at Graz University; he studied English, German and Classical literature atTubingen, Durham and Munich.

Shakespeare, Plautus and the Humanist Tradition

Dramas & Plays

D.S.Brewer

Studien zur englischen Mystik des Mittelalters unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Metaphorik (Anglistische Forschungen) (German Edition)

Winter

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Riehle, Wolfgang. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Riehle, Wolfgang