James Rhodes

Research interests

My PhD project analyses the reception and afterlife of manuscripts containing the work of the fourteenth century hermit, Richard Rolle (d.1349). Although widely discussed for his contributions to English literature, Rolle’s Latin works often lack close attention. My project focuses on the reception of his widely circulated work, the Latin Emendatio Vitae, a short text outlining the stages of spiritual perfection for ordinary people. I am interested in the scribal and compilatory practices within manuscripts as these reveal the ways Rolle and his writing were engaged with and integrated into the devotional landscape of late medieval England. By combining book history and social history into a study of Rolle, my work hopes to address concerns about medieval authorship, textuality, and religious practice.

Because my research concerns the manuscripts which contain devotional literature, I am also interested in the ways modern methodologies are used to understand medieval books. My project challenges some of the editorial and publishing assumptions behind modern interpretations of medieval texts, and aims to provide a reassessment of Rolle's legacy.

Qualifications:

MSt Medieval History, University of Oxford

BA (hons) History, University of York