Department of English M.A. candidate Laura Godfrey will present “Transubstantiation of the Cross in the York Play of the Crucifixion” in the Hannah-Ford Room (Bondurant Hall 2nd Fl.) as part of the Spring 2014 Works-in-Progress Seminar Series.
As part of a larger study of physical transformations of the Cross in medieval literature, this chapter sees the Cross in late medieval drama as a representation of heightened devotion to the Eucharistic. In the York cycle’s Play of the Crucifixion, the cross-as-prop can be understood using the laity’s understanding of Eucharistic ritual in order to see the devotional significance of the materiality of the cross on stage. This chapter provides a basic understanding of lay knowledge of the Eucharist and establishes the ways in which the lay audience would understand the cross on stage and its connection to Eucharistic theology.
Laura Godfrey is in her third and final year of the Master’s program in the Department of English. Before coming to the University of Mississippi, Laura received Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Spanish from Louisiana State University. She plans to continue her work in late medieval devotional texts in a Ph.D. program.
The Works-in-Progress Seminar Series is hosted by the English Graduate Student Body and open to all. The seminars consist of a thirty-minute presentation followed by a Q & A discussion where feedback and further suggestions by both faculty and other graduate students are highly encouraged! A version of the material to be presented on will be sent out to those on the English Department listserve closer to the event. Those not on the listserve who would like a copy, or for more information about this or other Works-in-Progress series events, please contact efielder@olemiss.edu.