Ancrene Wisse, the Katherine Group, and the Wooing Group

by Bella Millett

This is the first fully-annotated bibliography of all the works of the Ancrene Wisse group -- the Ancrene Wisseitself, the 13th-century guide for anchoresses, and the related Middle English devotional prose works known as the Katherine Group' and the Wooing Group' --which are attracting increasing scholarly attention due to the unique evidence they offer for the nature of women's religious experience in medieval England. The general introduction surveys the history of scholarship on the Group, and the methodological problems involved; topics include the relationship of the different works, their origins, context, sources and influence, and a review of the current state of scholarship, noting possible directions for future research. BELLA MILLETTis Reader in English at the University of Southampton.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 1996