Pilgrimage in Medieval English Literature, 700-1500

The meaning of pilgrimage and its development over 800 years, reflected in contemporary writings.

Pilgrims are so frequently encountered in the pages of Middle English literature that it is easy to take their presence, and their significance, for granted. The pilgrimage motif is all too frequently simply accepted as a 'given'of medieval spirituality, its presence noted but its meaning seldom analysed. This study therefore asks several fundamental but hitherto largely ignored questions. What ...