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Richard Rolle.
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The English prose and verse writer Richard Rolle of Hampole (ca. 1290-1349) gave the first formal expression to English mysticism and exerted a very important intellectual influence on the 14th centur...
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Richard Rolle and his followers have left considerable information about his life, including autobiographical comments in Rolle's Latin and English writings and the Officium de Sancto Ricardo, compile...
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Perry's 1866 edition of Rolle's treatises in English constituted the first time these manuscripts were made available since the Middle Ages. In the following excerpt, he touches on many ...
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In the essay below, Arnould seeks to synthesize the divergent portraits of Rolle that have dominated, one portraying him as wholly saintly, and the other as largely wild and tempermental. In his effor...
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In the excerpt that follows, Woolf considers Rolle in relation to the broader conventions and schools of mystical writing, focusing particularly on the tradition of the Passion meditation. Ultimately ...
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In the excerpt below, Knowlton sets out her basic reading of Rolle, noting the features that she considers definitive of his verse.
Lyric poetry, among the Greeks, meant poetry to be sung to the accom...
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In the following essay, Alford makes an effort to correct what he sees to þe the paucity of true literary studies of Rolle. In his analysis, Alford examines the relationship of Rolle's w...
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In the following excerpt from his book-length study, Watson sets out the basis for his analysis, focusing on the function of canor in Rolle's work and thought. Considering Rolle in relation to ...
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In his introduction to Rolle's commentary on the Psalms, Bramley recounts Rolle 's biography and summarizes his doctrine, relying mostly on the Office made shortly after his death by the...
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In the excerpted introduction that follows, Horstman provides a detailed rendition of Rolle's life and a comprehensive paraphrase of his works, organizing the paraphrase according to the tenets...
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Below, Hodgson discusses Rolle's major works, summarizing their content and engaging the various controversies that had sprung up around them; she ultimately tends to defend Rolle 's sta...
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In the following excerpt, Knowles depicts Rolle as a kind of early Romantic poet—one whose art is spontaneous, natural, personal, and almost rebelliously individualiste
The four writers who hav...
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Critical Essay by Hope Emily Allen
SOURCE· Hope Emily Allen, in an introduction to Writings Ascribed to Richard Rolle, D. C. Heath and Company, 1927, pp. 1-8.
Since her standard works of 1927 a...
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Aside from the Office composed soon after Rolle's death, Comper's biography was the first extended account of Rolle's life. In the following excerpt, she treats in detail the pinn...
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Below, Coleman describes Rolle not only as a true mystic, but also as a bridge from medieval to modern literature by virtue of the personal note in his devotional and literary styles.
History plays cu...
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In the excerpt below, Pepler places Rolle at the head of English mysticism. Reserving most of his attention for Rolle's English works, Pepler looks at Rolle's experiences and terminology...
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Richard Rolle of Hampole
Richard Rolle
Critical Essay by George G. Perry
