Hagiographic Romance

Abstract

“Hagiographic romance” is a label used to define a subgroup of medieval vernacular romances, usually focused on the deserved penitent suffering of a male protagonist of high social status (lord or king) or the undeserved patient endurance of trials and tribulations by a female protagonist. The protagonists walk a difficult path to sainthood or are very close to becoming role models for sainthood. While the narrative does not seem to require miracles as a precondition to considering these romances “hagiographic” the lives of the protagonists do not fall short of miraculous coincidences or turns of events, satisfying the expectations of romance in general. The female protagonists of hagiographic romances tend to be cast in the role of wronged/calumniated daughter/wife, and their testing is more strongly related to challenges to their obedience, constancy, and innocence. Hagiographic romances remained the most popular subcategory of Middle English romance throughout the late medieval and early modern period, transitioning well from manuscript to early print. Their middle‐class audiences clearly appreciated their combination of education and entertainment, as the extant evidence attests.