Divine Ventriloquism in Medieval English Literature: Power, Anxiety, Subversion (The New Middle Ages)

Divine Ventriloquism in Medieval English Literature studies medieval attitudes towards the human mediation of God's and Christ's voices and thus attends to how medieval people resignified a pagan practice. As Mary Hayes demonstrates, the ventriloquized divine voice ultimately permits an exploration of human relationships with God as well as mundane relationships between the divine voice's designated clerical mediators and their lay audiences. This book shows that the ventriloquized divine voice became a contested site of power as priests acquired more institutional endorsement and, ironically, devotion in some ways became putatively more lay-centered. Taken together, these chapters tell a story, one of a progression from an orthodox view of divine vocal power, to an anxiety over the authority of the priest's voice, to a subversive take on the ability of lay people not only to mimic the clerical voice but also to generate their own unique performances capable of divine communication. This Book Studies Medieval Attitudes Towards The Ventriloquism Of God's And Christ's Voices Through Human Media. It Includes Readers, Who Ventriloquized The Divine Voice When Speaking The Words Of The Bible; Pagan Oracles, Which Become Appropriated As Organs For The Divine Voice; Priests, Who Are The Designated Media For Conveying The Divine Voice In Preaching, Confessions, And The Liturgy; Lay Speakers, Who Unlawfully Appropriate The Clerical Voice And, By Extension, God's Voice, By Speaking Words That Do Not Pertain To Them; Bodily Sources Other Than The Mouth, Such As When A Churlish Lay Person Utters Divine Speech Through A Fart; And Actors On Stage, Who Ventriloquized Christ's Words Spoken At The Last Supper. Simply Put, The Essence Of Each Of These Ventriloquial Acts Is That They Relocate The Voice From Its Conventional Source In The Speaker's Mouth, In This Case, In Ore Domini, To A Mortal Medium. Taken Together, These Chapters Tell A Story, One Of A Progression From An Orthodox View Of Divine Vocal Power To An Anxiety Over The Authority Of The Priest's Voice To A Subversive Take On The Divine Voice That Foreshadows Protestant Devotion. Although The Primary Audience For The Book Will Be Medievalists, It Also Makes A Contribution To The Burgeoning Field Of The History Of The Senses, In Particular, Sound Theory, And Thus Will Be Helpful To Any Scholar Who Studies The Voice And Vocal Performances. Fantasies Of Power: The Priest's Voice In Anglo-saxon Literature -- Anxiety And The Priest's Voice -- Subversion In The Eucharistic Canon -- Conclusion. Resounding Voices. Mary Hayes. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Divine Ventriloquism in Medieval English Literature studies medieval attitudes towards the human mediation of Gods and Christs voices and thus attends to how medieval people resignified a pagan practice.As Mary Hayes demonstrates, the ventriloquized divine voice ultimately permits an exploration of human relationships with God as well as mundane relationships between the divine voices designated clerical mediators and their lay audiences. This book demonstrates that the ventriloquized divine voice became a contested site of power as priests acquired more institutional endorsement and, ironically, devotion in some ways became putatively more lay-centered. Taken together, these chapters tell a story, one of a progression from an orthodox view of divine vocal power, to an anxiety over the authority of the priests voice, to a subversive take on the ability of lay people not only to mimic the clerical voice but also to generate their own unique performances capable of divine communication. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 8 Copyright......Page 9 Dedication......Page 10 Contents......Page 12 Preface......Page 14 Introduction: Listen Up!......Page 16 Part I Powerful Fantasies of Christ’s Voice......Page 38 1 The Talking Dead......Page 40 2 Christ’s Lips Move......Page 68 Part II Anxiety and the Clerical Voice......Page 96 3 The Master’s Voice......Page 98 4 Cursed Speakers......Page 124 Part III Lay Subversion in the Eucharistic Canon......Page 152 5 Belly Speech......Page 154 6 Playing the Prophet......Page 184 Conclusion: Resounding Voices......Page 208 Notes......Page 212 Bibliography......Page 240 Index......Page 254 Cover 1 Title 8 Copyright 9 Dedication 10 Contents 12 Preface 14 Introduction: Listen Up! 16 Part I Powerful Fantasies of Christ’s Voice 38 1 The Talking Dead 40 2 Christ’s Lips Move 68 Part II Anxiety and the Clerical Voice 96 3 The Master’s Voice 98 4 Cursed Speakers 124 Part III Lay Subversion in the Eucharistic Canon 152 5 Belly Speech 154 6 Playing the Prophet 184 Conclusion: Resounding Voices 208 Notes 212 Bibliography 240 Index 254 0230108997,9780230108998 Palgrave Macmillan, 2011 A study of medieval attitudes towards the ventriloquism of God's and Christ's voices through human media, which reveals a progression from an orthodox view of divine vocal power to an anxiety over the authority of the priest's voice to a subversive take on the divine voice that foreshadows Protestant devotion.