The serpent and the rose : the Immaculate Conception and Hispanic poetry in the late medieval period / / by Lesley K. Twomey.

• Superior document: Studies in medieval and Reformation traditions, v. 132
• Author: Twomey, Lesley K.
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Studies in medieval and Reformation traditions ; v. 132.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (330 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The Serpent and the Rose examines the theological and liturgical context for the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in the Middle Ages, from primary sources in Iberian archives. Its main focus is a study of Marian poetry from Alfonso the Wise and Gonzalo de Berceo through to the poetry collections of the late fifteenth century, showing how poets took themes from the Bible and apocryphal literature, combining them to defend and praise Mary’s conception without sin. Individual chapters assess how they depicted Mary’s prefiguration in the Old Testament by the Woman who defeated the serpent, the young bride of the Song of Songs , or the semi-deity, Wisdom, how they portray her as the mystic rose and as the new Eve.

Table of Contents

Conception liturgies : in praise of the rose -- Good and evil : theological debate about Mary -- "Discordans d'opinió" : literary discord in Spain -- The serpent crushed -- The Immaculate Virgin : matchless maiden -- The rose-garden : beauty and purity -- The rose : perfect from the beginning of time -- The new Eve -- The Virgin Mary and the kiss : apocryphal birth -- Narratives and the Immaculate Conception.