Reluctant Pilgrim
the Lost Book of Margery Kempe's Maidservant
A tale of two medieval women – the mistress*,
the proud and privileged daughter of the Mayor of
Bishop's Lynn and the maidservant, a nameless orphan
… who travel together on pilgrimage through England
and across Europe to Jerusalem, in their forties, and to Danzig
in their sixties. But they are bound together by something
much more mysterious than service, which unravels as they
face the perils of travel, mutual betrayals and heresy trials.
* Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – c. 1439) was an aspiring religious mystic whose autobiography is one of the earliest written in English
"Margery Kempe is credited with having written the first English autobiography. Not that she wrote it herself—she did not know how to. Instead, she dictated the exciting events of her life to her confessor. Margery is the protagonist of Reluctant Pilgrim—or, rather, she's the sun around which the real protagonist, the anonymous narrator, orbits. In fact, everyone in Margery's life orbits around her, which is as it should be according to this exceedingly self-centred woman. The narrator is Margery's maidservant. She is more to Margery than that, but this is not something Margery is willing to acknowledge. In difference to Margery, her maidservant can read and write, skills she conceals, as in these intolerant times writing and reading can potentially lead to you being accused of heresy. Margery Kempe is deliciously dislikeable and complicated: she is totally uninterested in her immediate family, expects all the limelight to fall on her but is undeniably devout. So devout she takes vows of chastity and departs on holy pilgrimage, leaving behind her distraught husband—but not her maidservant. Ms Perigrinor takes the reader along on quite the road trip through 15th-century Europe and beyond, presenting us with package tour trips (I kid you not!) to the Holy Land, pilgrims of all sorts (including some who feature in a contemporary book about pilgrims), a brief appearance of a certain ploughman named Piers, and a parade of commoners from all walks of life. Reluctant Pilgrim is packed with details about medieval life, elegantly inserted in the vivid and beautifully written first-person narrative. Yes, the first few pages were hard to get through, but I urge would-be readers to press on and discover just what an absolute gem this book is. Brava, Ms. Perigrinor, brava! "
From: May edition Historical Novel Society
How to order:
- Direct from me using the buy button
(£13.49 inc. postage, UK only.
If ordering from overseas please contact me for updated price. )
- Through amazon.co.uk
Life in a Medieval Gentry Household
Alice de Bryene of Acton Hall, Suffolk, c. 1360-1435
In the Middle Ages the household was such a fundamental part of the social structure that the post-1350 era has been termed 'the Age of the Household.' Academic studies have generally focused on the grand, itinerant households of the wealthy aristocracy, illuminating the lifestyles and pastimes of this elite class. Using the household accounts of Alice de Bryene, a widowed gentlewoman, together with bailiffs' and stewards' reports from her home in Acton, Suffolk and other estates further afield, this richly detailed study paints a vivid portrait of the lives of ordinary people in the medieval countryside, of festivals and feast days, marriage and monuments, family loyalties and betrayals, life and death, the rhythms of the working day and year, and the changing scene in the wider world beyond the household.
"Written in a lively and accessible style, this book appeals not only to scholars of the period but very much to the general reader with interests in such matters as marriage and family, the stages of life including widowhood, and the lifestyle of the gentry, both in the material sense and in terms of attitudes and values."
Peter R. Coss, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, Cardiff University.
"Who would have thought that a simple household account, for the single year 1412-13, could be used to produce such a rich and readable book? Dame Alice de Bryene's enterprising engagement and her busy household, are brought to life in a way that is both scholarly and enlightening. A remarkable achievement "
Caroline Barron, Professor Emerita, Royal Holloway, University of London.
"When this book of daily life in the household of an affluent widow first appeared it anticipated much of the scholarship that has followed. As our interest in "ordinary" lives continues to grow, ffiona Perigrinor's study of Alice de Bryene remains central to many lines of investigation touching the kitchen and dining hall, guests at the table, relations with the clergy, and an active widow's role in family and community life in general. This was a book before its time."
Joel T. Rosenthal, Emeritus Professor of History, Stony Brook University, New York
How to order (publication date November 26th 2021) :
Strange Tales from my Studio:
a psychotherapist in China (Forthcoming)
This is an exploration of the basic tenets of Analytical Psychology within the context of many years of psychotherapeutic practice in both China and the UK. I start by observing some fundamental differences in the Chinese and Western psyche and culture, then move to specific concepts, such as the setting, transference, dreams and what's lost in translation. I endeavour to show where certain aspects of Jung's theory, though grounded largely in Christianity and Western philosophy, resonate with the experience of my Chinese patients and discuss other areas where it appears alien. In focussing on the differences between the eastern and western cultures I draw attention to divergences in Jungian practice in general and also query the future of Analytical Psychology in its traditional form.
