Jonathan Juilfs

Biography

As a medieval literature specialist, Juilfs focuses on religious writings (poetry, visionary and mystical literature) in English, Latin, and Old French covering the years 1100-1485. His doctoral dissertation and publications focus principally on Marguerite Porete, a French woman executed for her book in 1310, and on Julian of Norwich, the first named woman writer in the English language (c. 1343-1416). He has presented papers most recently at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan (May 2015) on the Middle English translation of the thirteenth-century Life of Marie of Oignies , and at the biannual conference of the Early Book Society in Oxford, UK (July 2015) on a pair of thirteenth-century medieval women’s devotional books in British library collections. Juilfs’s courses at Redeemer focus on English and other medieval European literatures (c. 800-1500) and their influences on the later major texts of Early-Modern English literature through to the Restoration of the monarchy (1660). He also teaches courses in the History of Language, Classical Mythology, and a 400-level seminar on the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, courses which supplement the more traditional historical survey courses and deepen students’ awareness of the broad historical developments of English as a literary language.

Research Interest

Medieval visionary and mystical texts, especially those by women; Medieval English, Latin, and Medieval French languages and literature; The material and hermeneutical legacy of the Bible in pre-modern European literature.