Between the sheets : reading beds and chambers in late-medieval England
This thesis explores the cultural meanings of beds and chambers in late-medieval England. It argues that the cultural phenomenon of the chamber, which emerged in England in the later middle ages, had profound and wide-reaching effects on late-medieval society and affected both those who had chambers and those who did not. This thesis has a strictly interdisciplinary approach, using a range of literary, documentary, visual and archaeological sources, and demonstrates how these sources informed and were informed by cultural associations and assumptions surrounding the bed and chamber. Its analysis of how members of society considered and interacted with the bed and chamber contributes to current discourse on space and objects. Additionally, its in-depth analysis of how cultural meanings of the bed and chamber were articulated and perpetuated sheds new light on late-medieval literature and social practice. This thesis is structured around a set of precepts known as âArise Earlyâ. Chapter One, âFyrst Arysse Erlyâ, reconstructs the physical components of both real and ideal beds and chambers. Chapter Two, âServe Thy God Deulyâ, focuses on the bed and chamber as an appropriate space in which to encounter
Morgan, Hollie
Between the sheets : reading beds and chambers in late-medieval England. This thesis explores the cultural meanings of beds and chambers in late-medieval England. It argues that the cultural phenomenon of the chamber, which emerged in England in the later middle ages, had profound and wide-reaching effects on late-medieval society and affected both those who had chambers and those who did not. This thesis has a strictly interdisciplinary approach, using a range of literary, documentary, visual and archaeological sources, and demonstrates how these sources informed and were informed by cultural associations and assumptions surrounding the bed and chamber. Its analysis of how members of society considered and interacted with the bed and chamber contributes to current discourse on space and objects. Additionally, its in-depth analysis of how cultural meanings of the bed and chamber were articulated and perpetuated sheds new light on late-medieval literature and social practice. This thesis is structured around a set of precepts known as âArise Earlyâ. Chapter One, âFyrst Arysse Erlyâ, reconstructs the physical components of both real and ideal beds and chambers. Chapter Two, âServe Thy God Deulyâ, focuses on the bed and chamber as an appropriate space in which to encounter
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