New Book by Dr. Megan Murton

Dr. Megan Murton's book Chaucer's Prayers: Writing Christian and Pagan Devotion is now available from Boydell & Brewer:

"In a culture as steeped in communal, scripted acts of prayer as Chaucer's England, a written prayer asks not only to be read, but to be inhabited: its "I" marks a space that readers are invited to occupy. This book examines the implications of accepting that invitation when reading Chaucer's poetry. Both in his often-overlooked pious writings and in his ambitious, innovative pagan narratives, the "I" of prayer provides readers with a subject-position that can be at once devotional and literary - a stance before a deity and a stance in relation to a poem. Chaucer uses this uniquely open, participatory "I" to implicate readers in his poetry and to guide their work of reading.

In examining Christian and pagan prayers alongside each other, Chaucer's Prayers cuts across an assumed division between the "religious" and "secular" writings within Chaucer's corpus. Rather, it emphasizes continuities and approaches prayer as part of Chaucer's broader experimentation with literary voice. It also places Chaucer in his devotional context and foregrounds how pious practices intersect with and shape his poetic practices. These insights challenge a received view of Chaucer as an essentially secular poet and shed new light on his poetry's relationship to religion."

 

Publish Your Research in Inventio

Inventio encourages Catholic University undergraduates to submit their research in theology, philosophy, the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences for publication.

The deadline to submit is May 15th, 2020.

Inventio accepts submissions of original research in theology, philosophy, the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences conducted and written by undergraduate students at The Catholic University of America. Authors should be current students or within two years of their graduation.

The papers should be written for a general, well-educated audience and may use technical language. The writing should show an attempt by the undergraduate researcher to tackle an intellectually challenging subject. The work should parallel academic rigor accepted in the professional research community.

Essays written for First Year Experience (FYE) are considered for the Phi Beta Kappa First Year Experience Essay Prize and should be submitted by December 31, 2020. This deadline applies only to FYE submissions.

For more information on how to submit, please visit the Inventio website.