Drawing on history; art history; literary criticism and theory; gender studies; theology and psychoanalysis; this interdisciplinary study analyzes the cultural significance of the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham; medieval Englands most significant pilgrimage site devoted to the Virgin Mary; which was revived in the twentieth century; and in 2006 voted Britains favorite religious site. Covering Walsinghams origins; destruction; and transformations from the Middle Ages to the present; Gary Waller pursues his investigation not through a standard history but by analyzing the "invented traditions" and varied re-creations of Walsingham by the "English imagination"- poems; fiction; songs; ballads; musical compositions and folk legends; solemn devotional writings and hostile satire which Walsingham has inspired; by Protestants; Catholics; and religious skeptics alike. They include; in early modern England; Erasmus; Ralegh; Sidney; and Shakespeare; then; during Walsinghams long "protestantization" from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries; ballad revivals; archeological investigations; and writings by Agnes Strickland; Edmund Waterton; and Hopkins; and in the modern period; writers like Eliot; Charles Williams; Robert Lowell; and A.N. Wilson. The concluding chapter uses contemporary feminist theology to view Walsingham not just as a symbol of nostalgia but a place inviting spiritual change through its potential sexual and gender transformation.
#3759501 in eBooks 2016-02-26 2016-02-26File Name: B01C9QBMBI
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Inseperable: Culture and Contemporary ArtBy Beverly LeachThe format of the book is easily accessible to someone not familar with the history and time period covered. As an artist I enjoyed his insights into the zeitgeist of the times that have shaped contemporary art and culture overall; making connections that illustrate how the two are inseperable. An excellent background for anyone wanting to have a better understanding of contemporary art and its evolution.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. one of our finest cultural historians and criticsBy Jay PariniThis is one of those jazzy books with a deep intellectual music that stays in your head. George Cotkin; one of our finest cultural historians and critics; ranges widely here across the arts; and theres not a chapter I didnt relish. Ive given several copies away to friends. This book is worth reading; and its worth re-reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Returned it for a refund; dont waste your time and or moneyBy O. NoudidntIn what appears to be a hastily written book that is short on style and heavy on sarcasm; the author attempts to critique cultural excess with a subjective relativism that is boorish and sophomoric at best. Returned it for a refund; dont waste your time and or money.
