December 27th- Margery Kempe

A Voice That Refused Silence
Margery Kempe stands as one of the most compelling—and challenging—figures of late medieval literature. Living in fifteenth-century England, she is known today as the author (or, more precisely, the subject) of The Book of Margery Kempe, often described as the first autobiography in English. Deeply devout, emotionally intense, and unapologetically vocal, Margery's work makes us reconsider easy assumptions about authority, authorship, and female spirituality in the Middle Ages.

A Life Lived Publicly
Born around 1373 in King’s Lynn, a prosperous port town, Margery was the daughter of a prominent civic official. She married, had fourteen children, and experienced what she later described as a profound spiritual crisis following the birth of her first child. From this moment onward, her life unfolded not quietly or privately, but conspicuously—often uncomfortably so for those around her.
Margery claimed frequent visions of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other holy figures, and she expressed her devotion through loud weeping, sobbing, and public displays of emotion. These behaviors drew suspicion and criticism, placing her repeatedly at risk of accusations of heresy. Yet she remained orthodox in doctrine and remarkably persistent in defending her spiritual experiences.

The Book of Margery Kempe: Authorship and Authority
Margery herself was illiterate, and her book was dictated to scribes late in her life. This collaborative mode of authorship complicates modern notions of literary creation, but it does not diminish Margery’s narrative control. The text is carefully structured, selective, and purposeful. Margery chooses what to recount, how to frame her experiences, and how to defend herself against critics—often by quoting Christ directly as her ultimate authority.
The Book blends genres: spiritual autobiography, pilgrimage narrative, theological reflection, and personal defense. Margery recounts extensive pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela, situating her life within a broader Christian world while emphasizing her endurance as a woman traveling largely alone.

Emotion, Gender, and Suspicion
One of the most striking aspects of Margery Kempe’s text is its unapologetic emotionality. Her tears—frequent, loud, and uncontrollable—are both the source of her spiritual authority and the cause of her social marginalization. In a culture that valued restraint, particularly in women, Margery’s affective devotion challenged expectations of proper behavior.
Her encounters with clergy and civic authorities reveal the precarious position of a woman who claimed direct access to divine truth. Margery is repeatedly interrogated, mocked, or dismissed, yet she consistently articulates her faith with clarity and theological awareness. The text thus becomes a sustained argument for the legitimacy of embodied, emotional spirituality.

Why Margery Kempe Still Matters
Margery Kempe matters not because she was agreeable or exemplary, but because she was insistent. She carved out space for a female voice within a religious culture that often preferred women silent, enclosed, or mediated by male authority. Her book preserves a life lived in tension—with family, community, and institutions—and does so without apology.
For modern readers, Margery is both unsettling and fascinating. She resists easy admiration, yet her refusal to be erased is profoundly compelling. Her narrative expands our understanding of medieval religious life and reminds us that spiritual authority has long taken diverse and uncomfortable forms.
Margery Kempe did not write quietly, and she did not live quietly either. Thanks to the survival of her book, her voice—emotional, argumentative, and deeply human—continues to be heard.

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.