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The Book of Margery Kempe (Penguin Classics) Paperback – February 4, 1986

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Margery Kempe (Author), Barry Windeatt (Translator, Introduction)
4.4 out of 5 stars 32 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; 1st edition (February 8, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140432515
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140432510
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful
A medieval woman's spiritual journey through life
By etc on May 22, 2004
Format: Paperback
Margery Kempe lived from about 1373~1440s, and she really LIVED. In this book, accorded by many to be the first autobiography in English, a scribe records the tale of her life, but most specifically the aspects of it that relate to her spirituality. She was outspoken, controversial, courageous, annoying, devout, and eccentric and all of these aspects shine through into the book, even through the cloudy filter of a male religious scribe who may have 'polished' her words to make her sound more orthodox.
Margery began life as the daughter of the mayor of Lynn in England, and made a well-suited marriage. After the birth of her first child, she went mad due to some pent-up guilt and an unsympathetic confessor, and during this madness was spoken to by Jesus. This moment changed her life, and snapped her out of the madness. She continued with her worldly ways with failed attempts at entrepenurism and her delight in the physical side of marital relations... but after aobut 20 years she felt the pull of God and decided she needed to devote herself entirely to him.
Margery went about a long process of procuring chastity from her husband and set off on pilgrimages world wide. She was known for her loud, uncontrollable weeping fits that occured at random and caused many to claim she was a heretic. However, she stood trial before the Archbishops of England, on multiple occasions, and was never once convicted of heresy, and in fact often impressed the higher church officials with her knowledge of doctrine and the Bible. She went through many struggles in her life, but her deity was always there communicating with her or helping her through the cruelty of others, assuring her that all her pain on earth would only increase her joy in heaven.Read more ›
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Excellent edition of the "Book of Margery Kempe"
By Claire M. on May 4, 2011
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I purchased this edition of the "Book of Margery Kempe" after consulting two other editions, one in the original Middle English, and one that attempted to modernize the text to make it more accessible. This edition is the best of both worlds. Lynn Staley provides an accessible, readable text while staying true to the original content. Staley's footnotes are also very helpful, providing information about people, places, and events discussed by Kempe. Also included in this volume is a selection of scholarly essays about the "Book of Margery Kempe" and examples of other writings of the early 15th Century. All in all, a lot of information in one volume, very useful, and reasonably priced. I'd recommend this for anyone interested in women in the later Middle Ages, female visionary experience in Christianity, and/or early examples of autobiography in English. I don't know if this volume will be accessible to high school students, but it's certainly appropriate for undergrads, graduate students, and anyone else interested in the fascinating figure of Margery Kempe.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Medieval England's Most Controversial Woman Speaks
By Jaime Andrews on June 25, 2014
Format: Paperback
Few female figures were as controversial in the early 1400s as Margery Kempe. Barry Windeatt's translation of "The Book of Margery Kempe" explores the life of this woman who was more than a wife and mother; she was also a businesswoman and religious visionary who dictated the earliest English autobiography known to modern readers.

In vivid detail, Windeatt describes Kempe's successes and failures. She birthed 14 children before feeling a religious calling (!!) and her brewery business failed. She was "continually hindered by her enemy, the devil, but continued to [perform] all her responsibilities wisely and soberly." Her leadership and vision makes her a unique woman living in medieval times that were not necessarily safe for her.

Few novels depict courage in woman as deep as Kemp's. Her pilgraimage to the Holy Land, dedication to chastity and the heresy trial she endured in England were quite harrowing. Few books are comparable to "The Book of Margery Kempe"; however, Samuel Fanous' book Christina of Markyate is similar. Readers who are more interested in the heresy trial will also enjoy Robert Bartlett's Trial by Fire and Water: The Medieval Judicial Ordeal.

No other book delves into Margery Kempe's life as her autobiography does. It emcompasses everything from religion to daily life in modern English, and it does not stray away from her faults. This translation has also been organized in a neat manner, encourging easier reading. This accessible book will fit in great alongside any historical or religious collection.
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38 of 47 people found the following review helpful
The First Autobiography in English
By Jeffrey Leach HALL OF FAME on October 28, 2000
Format: Paperback
My Medieval class is keeping me very busy reading about women in the 14th century. First, I read about Julian of Norwich and her book, "Revelations of Divine Love", which I found to be very wordy and dense. "The Book of Margery Kempe" was easier, in that the theological development is embryonic, and therefore easier to understand, and the reader gets more information about Margery and her personal life.
Margery Kempe lived in England in the 14th century. The daughter of a well-to-do who served as mayor of his town, Margery seems to have had high expectations for her life that weren't realized. She married a man who had money problems, had fourteen children, and ran a brewery business that failed. After the birth of one of her children, Margery had a vision of Christ, and her life was forever changed. The bulk of the book details her various pilgrimages and adventures, as well as detailed accounts of her discussions with Christ.
While this is quite a colorful book, in an emotional sense, Margery doesn't come across as a very sincere person, which is what one would expect from a bride of Christ. One small incident that comes to mind is when Margery is praying for one of her religious instructors to get well. She doesn't pray that he will get healthy for his own sake, but so that she will be able to talk to him again. This theme of self-centered behavior runs throughout the book. Problems are seen not as tests of her faith or spirit, but as personal attacks on Margery, and they are something to be confronted instead of endured, although Margery pays lip service to the concepts of patience and humility.
What got Margery into so much trouble in the first place was the expressions of her intimate dialogues with Christ.Read more ›
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