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The prayer of love in "The Cloud of Unknowing" and related works
Abstract
The anonymous Cloud author is one of five medieval spiritual writers commonly referred to as the fourteenth-century English mystics. Generally regarded as the most original writer among the five, the Cloud author remains, nonetheless, entirely orthodox in his theological outlook; in fact, his extreme concern that his works not be read out of context reflects his fear of inadvertently leading his readers into spiritual error. Although some critics dismiss the Cloud author's concern in this regard as excessive, the existence of several twentieth-century articles comparing the Cloud author's teaching to aspects of Buddhist and Hindu meditation calls for a reexamination of the Cloud corpus within its proper context. As a prerequisite to investigating the validity of comparisons that have been drawn between Eastern forms of meditation and the Cloud author's concept of prayer, the first three chapters of the dissertation attempt to establish the appropriate context within which the Cloud author's works can best be understood. Chapter One places the Cloud author's work within the context of its Roman Catholic heritage, and Chapter Two explores the nature of Neoplatonic influences in the Cloud author's writings, focusing in particular on Dionysian sources and their relationship to the Cloud corpus. The Cloud author's view of language and its proper role with respect to contemplative prayer is the subject of Chapter Three; here it becomes apparent that a correct understanding of the Cloud author's use of language is essential to an accurate comprehension of his teaching. Finally, Chapters Four and Five deal directly with parallels drawn between prayer of the Cloud author and the use of the koan and mantra, two specific techniques in Buddhist and Hindu meditation. Careful examination of these comparisons reveals a general disregard for proper context, both of the Cloud author's works as well as of Buddhist and Hindu concepts, that invalidates claims to any substantial resemblance between Eastern meditation and the contemplative prayer of the Cloud author.
Subject Area
Medieval literature|British and Irish literature|Theology|Literature
Recommended Citation
Will, Maika Jane, "The prayer of love in "The Cloud of Unknowing" and related works" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9305916.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9305916