Unsayable and Unsaid: Traversing the Gaps in the Writing of Julian of Norwich

Fourteenth century visionary and mystic, Julian of Norwich writes at the intersection of orthodoxy and vernacular theology, and she employs a number of strategies to navigate her precarious position. Chief among these is her... [ view full abstract ]

Fourteenth century visionary and mystic, Julian of Norwich writes at the intersection of orthodoxy and vernacular theology, and she employs a number of strategies to navigate her precarious position. Chief among these is her use of unstable binaries to express sentiments that cannot be communicated outright whether they be the ineffability of God or her own uncertain position as an author. Julian uses dichotomy and metaphor as a framework to explore the space between poles. Through her interrogation and disruption of these relationships, she is able to describe what she cannot plainly say by drawing attention to the negative space. The result is a complex system of juxtapositions in which Julian casts herself as both ordinary Christian and Christ-like bestower of divine knowledge, complicating the relationship between author and text, and presenting a meditation what it means to be an authority, as a woman writing in the vernacular, in an environment where all authority is afforded at the mercy of God and the church