| Riassunto: | <p>Although it is often noted that there are striking similarities between the puys, Marian poetry competitions in Northern France, and institutionalised Meistergesang, very little comparative work has been undertaken investigating these similarities. This thesis aims to explore Marian lyric composed in urban spaces in the late Middle Ages, both to gain a greater understanding of the individual poetic traditions, and to assess the significance of urban Marian lyric. I argue that the figure of Mary appealed to those living in towns and cities because she reflected the boundedness and privilege of the ideal, imagined city. Moreover, Marian lyric is an ideal method of communicating religious knowledge, both catechetical and experiential. The form of poetry helps audiences to engage with knowledge doctrinally and affectively, with Mary acting both as inspiration for poets and as a teacher. In examining the interplay between the playful and devotional ends of Marian lyric produced in a competitive context, I show that play and piety are mutually enriching and suggest play is a helpful lens for understanding engagement with poetic traditions and the poetic community. Religious lyric is often neglected in discussions of late-medieval poetics in continental French and German Studies, and this demonstrates the need to take religious lyric into consideration as a significant element of poetic production. The comparative study enables us to understand late-medieval Marian lyric in its context, and is significant as the first such Anglophone study. This thesis shows that urban Marian lyric warrants further critical attention, and signals new directions for research into the puys and Marian Meistergesang. Furthermore, it has implications beyond the field of Marian lyric, opening up new avenues for research into the late-medieval lyric, lay piety and urban history. </p>
|
|---|