Acute Melancholia and Other Essays: Mysticism, History, and the Study of Religion (Gender, Theory, and Religion)

Amy Hollywood examines how feminist and queer studies have changed the history of mysticism and how the study of religion in general has altered our understanding of what is true, what is real, and what it means to research a historical subject. She explores excessive forms of desire and eroticism at play within Christian mystical texts and the historiographical, theological, and philosophical problems bound up in the interrogation of extraordinary experiences of the divine. Showcases the best in modern medieval and religious scholarship, deploying spirited and progressive approaches to the study of Christian mysticism and the philosophy of religion. List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: A Triptych Part I 1. Acute Melancholia Part II. History 2. Feminist Studies in Christian Spirituality 3. On Gender, Agency, and the Divine in Religious Historiography 4. Reading as Self-Annihilation: On Marguerite Porete's Mirror of Simple Souls Part III. Sexuality 5. Sexual Desire, Divine Desire Or, Queering the Beguines 6. The Normal, the Queer, and the Middle Ages 7. "That Glorious Slit": Irigaray and the Medieval Devotion to Christ's Side Wound Part IV. Practice 8. Inside Out: Beatrice of Nazareth and Her Hagiographer 9. Performativity, Citationality, Ritualization 10. Practice, Belief, and Feminist Philosophy of Religion Part V 11. Love of Neighbor and Love of God: Martha and Mary in the Christian Middle Ages Notes Sources Index Acute melancholia -- History -- Feminist studies in Christian spirituality -- On gender, agency, and the divine in religious historiography -- Reading as self-annihilation: on Marguerite Porete's Mirror of simple souls -- Sexuality -- Sexual desire, divine desire; or, queering the beguines -- The normal, the queer, and the Middle Ages -- That glorious slit: Irigaray and the medieval devotion to Christ's side wound -- Practice -- Inside out: Beatrice of Nazareth and her hagiographer -- Performativity, citationality, ritualization -- Practice, belief, and feminist philosophy of religion -- Love of neighbor and love of God: Martha and Mary in the Christian Middle Ages. Amy Hollywood. Includes bibliographical references and index. Acute Melancholia and Other Essays deploys spirited and progressive approaches to the study of Christian mysticism and the philosophy of religion. Ideal for novices and experienced scholars alike, the volume makes a forceful case for thinking about religion as both belief and practice, in which traditions marked by change are passed down through generations, laying the groundwork for their own critique. Through a provocative integration of medieval sources and texts by Jacques Derrida, Judith Butler, Talal Asad, and Dipesh Chakrabarty, this book redefines what it means to engage critically with history and those embedded within it. -- Amazon.com