Early British
Literature
Literary
Nonfiction
A History of The English Church and People (p.98-100)
From The Book of Margery Kempe (p.116-117)
Journal entry/quick response

A dream may inspire a person to change
his way of life or to take his life in a
certain direction. What other factors
might inspire a dramatic shift in the way
someone lives? What do you hope your
life will be like and how will you achieve
those goals?
Background on A History of The
English Church and People

The Venerable Bede (an English
monk) recorded information on
Caedmon, the earliest English
poet known to us by name
Background on A History of The
English Church and People

According to Bede:

Caedmon composed many poems in (written)
English, his native tongue

Only his first poem, a hymn to God the
Creator, has survived

He lived at Whitby Abbey, a religious
community on the coast of England founded in
657 by St. Hilda (the active abbess in charge
during Caedmon’s time)
*Read A History of The English Church and People p.98-100
Journal entry/quick response

What gives people the strength to tackle
a challenge or to keep going despite
obstacles or setbacks? Draw from your
own experience or those of someone you
know.
More on A History of The
English Church and People

Biographical narrative

Bede tells of Caedmon, a
humble man who thought
that he had no skill at poetry

When reading the piece,
focus on how a dream
inspired the life of an
important historical figure
Background on Margery Kempe
and The Book of Margery Kempe

She lived from 1373-1439

Believed to be the oldest surviving autobiography in
the English language

Autobiography: writer’s account of his or her own life

Differs from diary and memoir as a sustained
narrative that attempts to make sense of a person’s
life

Most are written in first person

Kempe wrote hers in the third person; this may
reflect that she dictated her story to a scribe or her
desire to be humble
Ordinary Wife and Mother

Born in Lynn, a town in the country of
Norfolk, England

Father served 5 terms as mayor

Born into a prominent family

Received little education (like
most women of her time)

Married John Kempe, a tax
collector, at age 20, and began
raising a family

She gave birth to 14 children
Forsaking Secular Life

Around 40 years old, decided to live in chastity and
preach to the world

Abnormal at the time for women to preach since nearly
every aspect of life was controlled by men

Any woman wishing to pursue spiritual calling was
expected to join a convent or life as a recluse; Margery
Kempe did neither

Began a series of pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Spain, Italy,
and Germany

Some considered her a model of human compassion and
devotion, while others disapproved of her lifestyle
A Gift of “Holy Tears”

In Jerusalem she began having fits
of tears, claiming they were a
special gift from God, a physical
token of her special worth in his
eyes

Violent fits of hysterical crying at
unpredictable times

Both clergy and common people
found her anywhere from annoying
to heretical (profane)

Kempe encountered persecution
and ridicule
Her Life Story

1430s Kempe began dictating her life story to
scribes

(illiterate like most women since denied education)

Her story is valued for several reasons: captures life
in the 1400s (showing social customs, speech, and
attitudes of the day); shows Kempe’s spiritual
character (woman of strong faith who lived by her
convictions despite social criticism and oppression)
*Read from The Book of Margery Kempe p.118-121