Texts of the Passion: Latin Devotional Literature and Medieval Society (review)

118 Reviews Ale, Beer, and Brewsters presents an absorbing and compelling account of the history of women, brewing, and w o m e n as brewers in late medieval and Early Modern England. It is a must for the professional library of all social historians and, through the issues it raises relating to the use of literary and cultural evidence, for the libraries of all scholars interested in the intersections between history and 'culture' in this era. Denise Ryan Department of English University of Sydney Bestul, Thomas H., Texts of the Passion: Latin Devotional Literature and Medi Society (Middle Ages Series), Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996; cloth; pp. viii, 264; R.R.P. US$39.95. Thomas Bestul's new book is significant for scholars of Middle English literature because it draws attention to the often under-appreciated Latin passion writings. A s he points out, the Latin passion narratives were amongst the most popular and widely read of the middle ages, but have received little attention from medievalists more interested in vernacular literature. The neglect of this aspect distorts understanding of the medieval world, as Rigg revealed in his comprehensive work, A History ofAnglo Latin Literature 1066-1422. Moreover, Bestul shows that the Latin works need to be seen, not just as a source for the vernacular, but as part of a complex • interaction of Latin and vernacular in society, reflecting contemporary and immediate issues as well as influencing and providing authority for the further dissemination of those views. Bestul wishes to draw attention to the whole context of a text, soundly arguing that modern, scientific attempts to establish the original 'canon' by distinguishing between pseudo- and genuine works (by, for instance, Anselm), misrepresent the wider literary framework available to the medieval reader. The spuria are part of the active and living tradition. As well as arguing for a more fluid textual world, Bestul also suggests that the audience be seen as Reviews 119 more heterogenous than hitherto accepted. Latin texts were not the preserve of monks alone, and the possibility of oral translation to a mixed group extends the possible influence of the Latin works. Similarly, the vernacular enjoyed popularity beyond iewed' circles. Bestul positions himself in a non-teleological framework, rejecting the notion of the evolution of texts as mere fulfilment of the past tradition or foreshadowing future works. Following Bakhtin and Raymond Williams, he reads the texts as products of social processes. Despite their transcendent content, the texts 'do not stand outside history, but, on the contrary, are saturated with ideology and actively contribute to its formation' (p. 20). After a useful chronological summary of the medieval Latin passions, Bestul then shows h o w the Latin passion narratives reflect contemporary changes in attitudes to Jews, w o m e n and torture. The increasing severity of restrictions against Jews in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and the ferocity of abuse directed at them are reflected in the demonisation of the Jews at the Passion, w h o are described in animal terms, and w h o become responsible for the murder of Christ, as opposed to the earlier narratives which place guilt upon the whole h u m a n race. Bestul argues that, by expressing this anti-Semitism, the narratives 'actively contributed to the antiJudaism of the later Middle Ages' (p. 110). In a similar vein, Bestul argues that the increasing use of judicial torture during this period encouraged the ever more realistic and lurid scenes of Christ's passion, and by so describing it encouraged the acceptance of torture as a legitimate instrument with which to persecute heretics and others. The section on gender and representation of w o m e n is perhaps more problematic. Bestul describes h o w the narratives reinforce the male view of women's speech, rendering it safely silent, but he also considers that biblical women may provide a positive role model for medieval women. Wisely, Bestul suggests that the heterogeneity of audience(s) would ensure a variety of responses from different people, and even a variety of responses by the same person at differenttimes.However, if the increased attention on Mary at this time is...