2026-09-21T17:59:30Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/105745 2023-07-11 col_2142_8906 col_2142_5131 com_2142_8904 com_2142_8903 com_2142_5130

Camargo, Martin Camargo, Martin Wright, Charles D. Barrett, Robert Symes, Carol Weisweaver, Sara 2019-11-26T20:49:01Z 2019-11-26T20:49:01Z 2021-11-27T10:15:33Z 2019-06-10 2019-08 This project recovers an overlooked fifteenth-century genre using a methodology informed by Object-Oriented Ontology. I collected fourteen manuscripts based on shared core features—portable size, small text box, textualis-leaning script, simple layout, primarily black ink with sparse yet helpful rubrication, and few or no illustrations. I argue that these books constitute a Middle English devotional genre, which I call the Simple Book. All of these books not only share a format, they also share similar types of devotional texts, and ultimately the format and texts work in tandem to create a humble, devotional reading experience. The Simple Book offered a rich, meaningful, and complete devotional reading program to readers with limited means. It defines itself by its use, both in its physical presentation to readers and in its narrative structuring, which I describe as both “welcoming” and “friendly.” By illustrating how a shift from named entities (title, author) to physical affordances makes anonymous texts and their readers legible, this materials-first approach to Middle English devotional manuscripts suggests alternate ways to address the problematically unwieldy genre of the “devotional miscellany.” Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2021-08-01 The student, Sara Weisweaver, accepted the attached license on 2019-06-05 at 15:16. The student, Sara Weisweaver, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2019-06-05 at 15:20. This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2019-06-10 at 11:52. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13996 on 2019-11-26 at 13:00:58 Made available in DSpace on 2019-11-26T20:49:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 6 WEISWEAVER-DISSERTATION-2019.pdf: 6843124 bytes, checksum: cbd9665857129af4c9401daf26b24f67 (MD5) Weisweaver_Simple Books for Devout Readers.docx: 24110525 bytes, checksum: 64fb10974938471d85eb1ad2acf3616e (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4212 bytes, checksum: be733bc29db69b249b28c1939569247e (MD5) PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt: 4558 bytes, checksum: d8cfa79f56f8fb2eadcf9d501be85c9c (MD5) Weisweaver_image permissions.pdf: 1311358 bytes, checksum: 29d67dd06011fb636fbb5e5ed85f8376 (MD5) Weisweaver_image permissions_1.pdf: 1311358 bytes, checksum: 29d67dd06011fb636fbb5e5ed85f8376 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019-06-10 Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 112890 Lift date: 2021-11-26T20:49:41Z Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system U of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 112890 on 2021-11-27T10:15:33Z. application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/2142/105745 en Copyright 2019 Sara Weisweaver Middle English, devotional miscellany, devotional anthology, object-oriented ontology, OOO, manuscript studies, fifteenth-century England, common profit, vernacular anthology, vernacular miscellany, vernacular devotional literature, devotional literature, medieval devotional literature, new materialism, textualis, gothic textualis, medieval codicology Simple books for devout readers: Recovering a fifteenth-century middle English genre text text English English University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Ph.D.