Graduate Student, History
Christ Church
Thesis Title: Angels in Anglo-Saxon England, 700-1000
About
I am currently a Senior Scholar of Christ Church, University of Oxford and Secretary of the Oxford Medieval Society.
My DPhil thesis attempts to assess the place of angels in the religious culture of Anglo-Saxon England. They are a ubiquitous presence in the art and literature of the period, but have attracted very little scholarly attention. My thesis follows comparable studies of Byzantium and early modern Europe, using depictions and descriptions of angels as a prism through which to study religious change between c.700 and c.1000. I am especially interested in the perceived relationship between the angelic and the saintly: how did these categories overlap and mutually inform each other, and under what circumstances would an individual seek angelic rather than saintly aid?
My other work is loosely united by an interest in myth-making and monastic culture in early medieval Europe. I have published a study of the development early Anglo-Saxon origin-myths, and written a number of studies of the problematic Breton Lives of St Samson of Dol. I am also currently exploring the practices of punishment in Anglo-Saxon culture in two linked projects; one looking at the disciplinary practices in use within monasteries, the other exploring attitudes to corporal punishment and visible injury in literature and society.
Contact Information
http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=863
Christ Church, Oxford
