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Katherine Group

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The so-called Katherine Group is a group of five 13th-century Middle English texts composed by an anonymous author of the English West Midlands, in a variety of Middle English known as AB language.

The texts are all addressed to anchoresses (religious recluses) and praise the virtue of virginity.

The texts

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All five texts are preserved in the manuscript Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodley 34. All except Hali Meiðhad are also in British Library, Royal 17 A XXVII. Additionally, British Library Cotton Titus D XVIII has Sawles Warde, Seinte Katherine and Hali Meiðhad.

Editions

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Hali Meiðhad

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  • Early English Text Society (1922)
  • A. F. Colborn (1940)
  • Bella Millett (1972), ISBN 978-0-19-722286-7

Literature

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  • Fletcher, A. J. (1993) "Black, white and grey in Hali Meidhad and Ancrene Wisse: evidence for dating from mention of religious orders' habits", in: Medium Aevum (1993)
  • Millett, Bella (1996) Ancrene Wisse, the Katherine Group, and the Wooing Group ISBN 0-85991-429-1
  • Millett, Bella & Wogan-Browne, J. (1990) Medieval English Prose for Women: selections from the Katherine Group and Ancrene Wisse. Oxford: Clarendon Press ISBN 978-0-19-811205-1
  • Tolkien, J. R. R.:
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The Katherine Group is similar in language and content to the Ancrene Wisse and the Wooing Group.[1]

References

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  1. ^ Michelle M. Sauer, 'Wooing Group', in Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature (2013), http://medieval_literature.enacademic.com.
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