“The Nyghtes Watchys”: Sleep Deprivation in Medieval Devotional Culture
In the medieval imagination sleep is a significant location of conflict between good and evil. For example, in the thirteenth-century Life of Marie of Oignies the dangers of sleep are externalized in the form of a demonic adversary, while in contrast, later medieval writings often portray sleep as a...
| 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: |
Penn State Univ. Press
2013
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| In: |
Journal of medieval religious cultures
Year: 2013, Volume: 39, Issue: 1, Pages: 23-42 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In the medieval imagination sleep is a significant location of conflict between good and evil. For example, in the thirteenth-century Life of Marie of Oignies the dangers of sleep are externalized in the form of a demonic adversary, while in contrast, later medieval writings often portray sleep as a symbolic place of interior conflict. This essay explores some of the many and varied roles of sleep and sleep deprivation in medieval culture, focusing in particular on the significance of their differing treatment in Continental and English writings. It argues that conceptualizations of sleep directly intersect with wider issues of religious experience, especially compassion, revealing specific cultural nuances in devotional thought and practice. |
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| ISSN: | 2153-9650 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of medieval religious cultures
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