The late-medieval movement into 'vernacular theology,' as it has come to be called, inspired many forms of literary expression, in all the languages of Europe. Spanning a wide field, the contributors to this volume consider hagiography, translations of and commentaries on scripture, accounts of visionary experiences, and devotional literature. Their essays illuminate encounters with the divine mediated through language, bringing into play a diversity of national cultures and disciplinary points of view. They also engage vital social and political issues connected with religious experience, including challenges to authority, reinterpretations of texts, and renegotiations of gender roles.

RENATE BLUMENFELD-KOSINSKI is Professor of French and director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh. NANCY WARREN is Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Utah State University. She is the author of Spritual Economies: Female Monasticism in Later Medieval England. DUNCAN ROBERTSON is Professor of French and Spanish at Augusta State University and author of Medieval Saints' Lives.