Department
English and Journalism
Location
Bethel University
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
2-25-2026 4:00 PM
End Date
2-25-2026 5:00 PM
Abstract
In the move from Latin to Middle English, medieval authors gave vibrant expression to religious ideas through the emerging literary language, a phenomenon Nicholas Watson has termed “vernacular theology.” This book places focus on poetic and prose works including William Langland's Piers Plowman, Nicholas Love's A Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, and Walter Hilton's Scale of Perfection, Pearl-Poet's Cleanness, and A Ladder of Foure Ronges. Alimentary metaphors not only make religious concepts more accessible to a non-educated, lay audience, the language of food and consumption alters the shape of the religious content communicated through it. This book employs cognitive linguistics and food studies to explore the transcultural, sociological, anthropological, and historical significance of the food and foodways behind the metaphorical language and the theological transformations the metaphors produce.
Recommended Citation
Molstad, Caleb, "Tasting Religious Thought and Experience in Late-Medieval English Literature" (2026). Wednesday, February 25, 2026. 17.
https://spark.bethel.edu/dayofscholarship/spring2026/spr2026/17
Terms of Use and License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Tasting Religious Thought and Experience in Late-Medieval English Literature
Bethel University
In the move from Latin to Middle English, medieval authors gave vibrant expression to religious ideas through the emerging literary language, a phenomenon Nicholas Watson has termed “vernacular theology.” This book places focus on poetic and prose works including William Langland's Piers Plowman, Nicholas Love's A Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, and Walter Hilton's Scale of Perfection, Pearl-Poet's Cleanness, and A Ladder of Foure Ronges. Alimentary metaphors not only make religious concepts more accessible to a non-educated, lay audience, the language of food and consumption alters the shape of the religious content communicated through it. This book employs cognitive linguistics and food studies to explore the transcultural, sociological, anthropological, and historical significance of the food and foodways behind the metaphorical language and the theological transformations the metaphors produce.