Margery Kempe

1
Margery Kempe

• By Stephanie Anderson

2
Biography

• 1373-1438
• Born in Kings Lynn in a busy port in Norfolk,
  England
• Married John Kempe

3
Facts

• Was criticized harshly by a priest after birth of
  firstborn-led to a mental breakdown
• Claimed to have personal visions of Jesus Christ
  and the Virgin Mary

• By the age of 40, she took a vow of celibacy
• Neighbors and fellow pilgrims criticized Kempe
  for her lifestyle and her loud, emotional displays

4
The Book of Margery Kempe

• Kempe did not physical write her autobiography
• 1433-she dedicated the two parts of her book to
  two different scribes
• the second scribe, a priest, revised the entire
  text.

5
continued

• The Book of Margery Kempe is the earliest
  surviving full-length autobiography in English
• The events span approximately 40 years
• The book is Kempes spiritual history
• Refers to herself as the creature
• She wrote the book to glorify God

6
Closing Facts

• Kempe could not read or write
• She was unlike other religious women of her time,
  who either joined convents of lived in reclusion
• Kempe living with her husband instead