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Acknowledgments The writing and preparation of this book did not, to use a spatial metaphor, happen in a vacuum and its existence would not have been possible without the help and encouragement of several people. To them I extend my deepest thanks. To Macquarie University, Sydney, for its supportive research environment ; to Professor John Stephens who generously shared his expertise in the project’s early stages; to Associate Professor Peter Goodall for invaluable advice on the preparation of the manuscript and for his encouragement and interest throughout; to my colleagues in the Department of English, especially Dr. Teresa Peterson, Dr. Alison Scott, and Lee O’Brien, for being willing sounding boards for my ideas and such dependable friends. To the editors of the Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association (AUMLA) journal and Peaceworks Proceedings I extend my gratitude for permission to republish here a version of a section of Chapter Three that appeared with the title “The Language of Space: Presence, Representation and Inexpressibility” in AUMLA, No. 106 (November 2006) and a version of a part of another section of Chapter Three, “God in a poynt” which appeared, in electronic form, under the title “God in a poynt: What Julian of Norwich Knew about Modern Science,” in PeaceWorks: 3rd Triennial Conference for Women Scholars of Religion and Theology (January 2004). To my brother, Dr. Michael Bendon (Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto), for introducing me some years ago to Michel Foucault’s essay on space which was to start me thinking in a very different direction. To Professor Denis Renevey (University of Lausanne, Switzerix land) and to Professor Denise Baker (University of North Carolina) who read the manuscript in an earlier incarnation and offered invaluable advice on ways to improve it, and who encouraged me to publish what were then new and untried ideas. To David McGonagle and Theresa Walker at the Catholic University of America Press for their interest in the project and for their clear and patient editorial guidance, and for providing such excellent readers, Associate Professor Anne Savage (McMaster University, Ontario) and the other anonymous reader, for my submission to the press. The readers’ astute observations and generous advice have improved the book immeasurably and I thank them wholeheartedly. To my parents, James and Mercia Bendon, for their love and interest over many years. To my mother, especially, who passed away before this book was completed, I give thanks for her unstinting love, her faith, her drive, and her unfailing belief in whatever I undertook. To my daughter, Erin, for taking just the right photo for this project , and to Daniel Murdolo for his generous help in digitally enhancing the photograph; to my daughters Laura, Erin (again), and Bridget for their loving support over the many long years of my studying and writing. Most of all, I thank my husband, Adrian, who has always supported and encouraged me and has always allowed me space.  acknowledgments ...

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