'The manner of life of Anselm, a man beloved of God' : Saint Anselm's legacy in historical and hagiographical writing connected to Christ Church, Canterbury and the Abbey of Bec, c.1080- c.1140
This thesis explores Saint Anselmâs legacy in the writing of hagiography and history by authors connected to Le Bec monastery and Christ Church, Canterbury, c.1080 -c.1140. Anselm was a prominent monastic and ecclesiastical figure in England and Normandy. In addition, he produced a number of significant meditational and theological texts. The impact of his life and influence has previously been seen almost exclusively within the sphere of contemporary and later theological writing. This thesis will argue that there was a circle of authors, largely connected to the Christ Church, Canterbury and Le Bec monasteries, who were actively incorporating Anselmian themes into their recording of historic and contemporary events. These incorporations generally took the form of the re-envisioning of characters in Anselmâs image and the insertion of themes from Anselmâs theological thought into the narratives of these texts. This study will examine how these authors shaped Anselmâs legacy in their texts and the degree to which these constructions were influenced by Anselm. The conclusions of this study will highlight the potential for prominent figures to have a strong impact on the recording of contemporary and
Britton, Stephanie Caroline
'The manner of life of Anselm, a man beloved of God' : Saint Anselm's legacy in historical and hagiographical writing connected to Christ Church, Canterbury and the Abbey of Bec, c.1080- c.1140. This thesis explores Saint Anselmâs legacy in the writing of hagiography and history by authors connected to Le Bec monastery and Christ Church, Canterbury, c.1080 -c.1140. Anselm was a prominent monastic and ecclesiastical figure in England and Normandy. In addition, he produced a number of significant meditational and theological texts. The impact of his life and influence has previously been seen almost exclusively within the sphere of contemporary and later theological writing. This thesis will argue that there was a circle of authors, largely connected to the Christ Church, Canterbury and Le Bec monasteries, who were actively incorporating Anselmian themes into their recording of historic and contemporary events. These incorporations generally took the form of the re-envisioning of characters in Anselmâs image and the insertion of themes from Anselmâs theological thought into the narratives of these texts. This study will examine how these authors shaped Anselmâs legacy in their texts and the degree to which these constructions were influenced by Anselm. The conclusions of this study will highlight the potential for prominent figures to have a strong impact on the recording of contemporary and
the manner life man god saint legacy historical hagiographical writing connect christ_church canterbury abbey explores saint legacy write hagiography history author connect monastery christ_church canterbury prominent monastic ecclesiastical figure england normandy addition produce number_significant theological text impact life influence previously see almost_exclusively within_sphere contemporary_later theological writing argue circle author largely connect christ_church canterbury monastery actively incorporate theme record historic contemporary_event incorporation generally take_form character image insertion theme theological think narrative_text study examine author shape legacy texts degree construction influence conclusion study_highlight potential prominent figure strong impact record contemporary