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I forgot how much I love this book...
Jun. 8th, 2008 11:42 pmI was bored today, so i read- what else? The Book of Margery Kempe. I think most of it can be boiled down to Margo showing off, and people being pissed off, and then she hears Jesus affirming her showing-off and being all "it's okay, they're just jealous because you're so awesome and perfect." lol Margo lived around the 1300s iirc.
Her husband is one of my favourite things about the book- which is her autobiography. Mostly, he is sweet and often the only one who believes her claims/rantings and defends her. She thought God wanted her not to have sex, so she pilgrimaged with him all over, with no sex. Until one day he can't take it anymore and says how mean she is to him. And she is haughty and refuses to sully herself, so he says "what if ..I dunno, some bandits came here, right now, and told us that they would kill me if we didn't have sex?" and she still says no, so he whines about how mean she is and doesn't care about him. Poor guy. ;)
Best line ever was that she "nearly fell off her ass" when she saw Jerusalem- she was so overwhelmed with its awesome.
Two Germans had to hold her up, and they thought she was sick so they gave her some 'spices'. She is always crying, and screaming, and throwing herself on the ground and making a scene. When she went to the site of the Crucifixion, she wails, writhes and wriggles and flails on the ground while the other pilgrims ask "what's wrong with you?" and she is prissy about how even the 'Saracens' are nice to her while the other English people treat her like crap.
Maybe this is better than the ass part... To console her, Jesus apparently says something along these lines:
Jesus: it's okay Margo, I know you love me lots.
Margo: *flails, cries* YES!!!!!
Jesus: You and me are like this... Well, you know when people make fish broth?
Margo: yeah...
Jesus: And they boil the fish and the skin comes off?
Margo: Yeah...
Jesus: And the fish skin rises, and gets sticky and gooy?
Margo: Yeah...
Jesus: Well, my dear, you are that fish skin. Sticking to my fingers.
Margo: *has mystical experience #654721 of her trip to the Holy Land.
fish skin...
-Sophie
Her husband is one of my favourite things about the book- which is her autobiography. Mostly, he is sweet and often the only one who believes her claims/rantings and defends her. She thought God wanted her not to have sex, so she pilgrimaged with him all over, with no sex. Until one day he can't take it anymore and says how mean she is to him. And she is haughty and refuses to sully herself, so he says "what if ..I dunno, some bandits came here, right now, and told us that they would kill me if we didn't have sex?" and she still says no, so he whines about how mean she is and doesn't care about him. Poor guy. ;)
Best line ever was that she "nearly fell off her ass" when she saw Jerusalem- she was so overwhelmed with its awesome.
Two Germans had to hold her up, and they thought she was sick so they gave her some 'spices'. She is always crying, and screaming, and throwing herself on the ground and making a scene. When she went to the site of the Crucifixion, she wails, writhes and wriggles and flails on the ground while the other pilgrims ask "what's wrong with you?" and she is prissy about how even the 'Saracens' are nice to her while the other English people treat her like crap.
Maybe this is better than the ass part... To console her, Jesus apparently says something along these lines:
Jesus: it's okay Margo, I know you love me lots.
Margo: *flails, cries* YES!!!!!
Jesus: You and me are like this... Well, you know when people make fish broth?
Margo: yeah...
Jesus: And they boil the fish and the skin comes off?
Margo: Yeah...
Jesus: And the fish skin rises, and gets sticky and gooy?
Margo: Yeah...
Jesus: Well, my dear, you are that fish skin. Sticking to my fingers.
Margo: *has mystical experience #654721 of her trip to the Holy Land.
fish skin...
-Sophie
