Recusant Tears and the Beata Peccatrix in Alexander Pope's 'Eloisa to Abelard'
This article argues that Alexander Pope, like the Counter-Reformation English authors of 'tears-literature' who preceded him, embedded within his poetry a theological/cultural discourse made possible through the figuration of the teardrop and an emphasis on the penitential weeper. Here, I...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2019]
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| In: |
Literature and theology
Year: 2019, Volume: 33, Issue: 2, Pages: 186-205 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history KDB Roman Catholic Church |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article argues that Alexander Pope, like the Counter-Reformation English authors of 'tears-literature' who preceded him, embedded within his poetry a theological/cultural discourse made possible through the figuration of the teardrop and an emphasis on the penitential weeper. Here, I examine the connections between Pope's Recusant Catholic experience and the role of devotional weeping and lamentation in Pope's 'Eloisa to Abelard' (1717). Similarly, I suggest that Pope's female protagonist, Eloisa, resembles in likeness, struggles, and sadness the Mary Magdalene, the beata peccatrix of the Christian tradition, a paradigmatic weeper, and a role model for Pope's Recusant Catholic community in 18th-century England. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4623 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Literature and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/litthe/frz001 |