English Research Seminar -- Alice Jorgensen (Trinity College Dublin)

Alice Jorgensen (Trinity College Dublin)

The Discourse and Practice of Emotions in the Homilies of Wulfstan

Tuesday 10 November 17.00 GMT, via TEAMS

“Wulfstan, Archbishop of York from 1002-1023, has a reputation as a hell-fire preacher. Old English eschatological preaching, as represented in the Vercelli collection, often makes obvious appeals to fear, including enjoining the faithful to weep and fear on account of their sins. This talk will examine Wulfstan's uses of fear, arguing that he in fact talks about fear much less than might be expected and is acutely aware of how counterproductive it can be.”