Sexuální životy svatých - Erotika ve středověké hagiografii

Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion

by Virginia Burrus

Působivá série interpretací raně křesťanských legend potěší, ohromí a překvapí každého zájemce o erotismus svatých. Autorka se distancuje od tradičního výkladu životopisů starověkých světců jako něčeho antierotického nebo neerotického a odhaluje v nich vzkvétající ars erotica. Aniž by redukovaly erotiku starověké hagiografie na jediný vzorec, vytvářejí Sexuální životy svatých rámec pro širší historické, teologické a teoretické úvahy se zvláštním odkazem na dílo Michela Foucaulta, Georgese Batailla, Davida Halperina, Geoffreyho Harphama, Lea Bersaniho a Jeana Baudrillarda. Queer, S/M a postkoloniální teorie patří mezi současné diskursy, jež fascinujícím způsobem rezonují se starověkým uměním „svaté“ lásky, která si podle Burrusové dodnes udržela slibnou mobilitu, rozmanitost a časovou neohraničenost.

Genres: Religion, History, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Sexuality, Gender

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

A native of Texas, Virginia Burrus received her B.A. (1981) in Classical Civilization from Yale College, and her M.A. (1984) and Ph.D. (1991) in History of Christianity from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Currently the the Bishop W. Earl Ledden Professor of Religion at Syracuse University, she had previously taught in Drew University's Theological School and Graduate Division of Religion.

Dr. Burrus's teaching and research interests in the field of ancient Christianity include: gender, sexuality, and the body; martyrdom and asceticism; ancient novels and hagiography; constructions of orthodoxy and heresy; histories of theology and historical theologies. She is past President of the North American Patristics Society, Associate Editor of the Journal of Early Christian Studies, and co-editor of the University of Pennsylvania Press series "Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion."

Reviews

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virginia Burrus takes the ascetic lives of the saints and rolls them over, undresses them, reveals in them the undeniable (irresistible) eroticism of saintly love - that which reverses, defies gender, defies place and time, not by rejection, but by a subversive mimesis, where "lack is not filled but eclipsed, suffering not eradicated but surpassed in joy."

Very good read - probably would be beneficial to have a background in queer theory and theology but this book occupies a space between academia and poetry and so isn't that hard to digest for the nonacademic

[Amy Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important book, especially methodologically. I think the readings were stretched too much in some places and the thesis perhaps covered too much ground. But overall, a provocative book and even where I would have read something differently, I was grateful for and stimulated by her conclusions. It would do to have some knowledge of Foucault and continental philosophy on the part of the reader, also, a familiarity with the texts is needed since Burrus offers a necessarily focused reading.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the lives of early Christian saints and ascetics through the lens of Queer Theory! WOW!

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 1 out of 5]

The incessant use of anachronistic ideas makes all the conclusions in this book suspect. And, it is poorly written.

[Joseph Berríos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I started reading this book because I wanted evidence to demonstrate that there’s actual eroticism in the Spaniard mysticism. While in fact this book talks about hagiographies, I got some answers to my doubts. Nevertheless, the style was a bit strange; for example, after chapter three I started losing a bit of interest due to the lack of bigger citations of the hagiographies that were being presented. Also, there were times when the author started to philosophize and (at least to me) it felt like it had no connection to her main thesis.

[Lulu]

mostly late fourth and early fifth centuries -- Jerome's Lives of Paul , Malchus , Hilarion , and Paula ; Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Macrina ; Augustine's portrait of Monica ; Sulpicius Severus's Life of Martin ; and the slightly later Lives of so - called harlot saints .

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sublimely incomprehensible. She has something important to say but I can barely pick up on it every once in a while.

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is - without any question - the weirdest fucking book I have ever read

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a little too much theory in this one for my taste but it’s an interesting exercise in queer-reading late antique hagiography.