Bridging Centuries

The Medieval Mysticism of Julian of Norwich in Contemporary Narrative

Abstract

In May of 1373, a thirty-year-old woman in East Anglia fell gravely ill. Lying on what was believed to be her deathbed, during a period of plague and political tumult, she seemed destined to join the many lives lost in the High Middle Ages. While meditating on a crucifix held before her, however, she experienced a series of sixteen divine visions and – miraculously – recovered. 

Julian of Norwich, who scholars estimate lived between 1343 and 1416, did not leave behind a well-documented life. Her legacy relies on the survival of written accounts of her religious visions, Revelations of Divine Love, which exists in two versions: the Short Text and the Long Text. This absence of a documented life accompanies the continued presence – and seeming resonance – of Revelations over the last 600 years to inspire questions for contemporary examination of Julian’s legacy. What are the dimensions of continued Christian resonance with Julian’s autohagiography that may inspire texts like I, Julian, a 2023 piece of hagiographic fiction reimagining Julian’s story? 

This paper compares canonical representations of Julian from her first-person writings with Claire Gilbert’s fictional interpretation of her life in the hagiography I, Julian. Modern interpretations and imaginations of Julian’s life and religiosity may reveal driving forces behind the enduring resonance of Julian’s insights in our scholarly understanding of gender, spirituality, and embodiment in Christian mysticism. Ultimately, this paper argues that Revelations of Divine Love can serve as a vital hagiographic lens into both the dimensions of female mysticism in medieval England and their subsequent modern resonances.