Sex, sensuality and religion in the book by Margery Kempe The sexual instinct, when disappointed and dissatisfied, frequently seeks and finds a substitute in religion. » This may have been Margery Kempe's condition when she wished to cease all sexual activity with her spouse because of her devotion to God. Instead of fulfilling her duties as a wife, she chose to spread her knowledge of God in her community and did so not only through speech, but also through literature. Whatever her motivation for creating such descriptive language, it is evident that her faith in God overcame both her fear of public opinion and the constraints placed on all women during this period. Living in the 1400s, she steps out of the role of a woman and into a man's territory by living her life publicly, abandoning her position as a mother and wife, and recording her life in writing. Fortunately, because she was writing for religious reasons, her work was both authorized and accepted. In The Book of Margery Kempe, she describes her experiences with brilliant images, some of them sexual, all of them sensual. By using her own senses to describe her spiritual faith as a sensual experience, Kempe creates a new way - for women in particular - to achieve not only enlightenment, but also empowerment through worshiping God. If Margery Kempe were alive today, she would be considered eccentric, but thanks to her creative book, she would still be on Oprah's book club list. Works Cited Kempe, Margery. “Extract from the book by Margery Kempe.” The Norton Anthology of Women's Literature. 2nd ed. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: WW Norton & Company, 1996. 18-24. Kempe, Margery. Margery Kempe's book. http://athena.english.vt.edu/~jmooney/wwmats/margery.htm (January 27. 2000).

Essay / Sex, sensuality and religion in the book by Margery Kempe The sexual instinct, when disappointed and dissatisfied, frequently seeks and finds a substitute in religion. » This may have been Margery Kempe's condition when she wished to cease all sexual activity with her spouse because of her devotion to God. Instead of fulfilling her duties as a wife, she chose to spread her knowledge of God in her community and did so not only through speech, but also through literature. Whatever her motivation for creating such descriptive language, it is evident that her faith in God overcame both her fear of public opinion and the constraints placed on all women during this period. Living in the 1400s, she steps out of the role of a woman and into a man's territory by living her life publicly, abandoning her position as a mother and wife, and recording her life in writing. Fortunately, because she was writing for religious reasons, her work was both authorized and accepted. In The Book of Margery Kempe, she describes her experiences with brilliant images, some of them sexual, all of them sensual. By using her own senses to describe her spiritual faith as a sensual experience, Kempe creates a new way - for women in particular - to achieve not only enlightenment, but also empowerment through worshiping God. If Margery Kempe were alive today, she would be considered eccentric, but thanks to her creative book, she would still be on Oprah's book club list. Works Cited Kempe, Margery. “Extract from the book by Margery Kempe.” The Norton Anthology of Women's Literature. 2nd ed. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: WW Norton & Company, 1996. 18-24. Kempe, Margery. Margery Kempe's book. http://athena.english.vt.edu/~jmooney/wwmats/margery.htm (January 27. 2000).

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