Julian of Norwich (1342-c.1416) is the earliest author writing in English who can be identified as a woman. She is also esteemed as one of the subtlest writers and profoundest thinkers of the period for her account of the revelations that she experienced in 1373. This edition presents both the shorter and longer versions of her book about her revelations, setting them in parallel for ease of comparison, with comprehensive explanatory and textual commentaries, and also with a glossary. Barry Windeatt provides a text that is likely to be closest to Julian's own language. A substantial introduction provides up-to-date information about Julian's circumstances, Julian's Norwich, her revelations, the relationship between her two texts, the theological background to her principal themes (including Christ as our mother), and a survey of the reception history of her work up to the present. A textual introduction and full apparatus guide the reader through the complex textual issues behind Julian's writing.
