The Representation and Reception of the Devil in the Eleventh Century

This thesis examines the representation of the devil in late Anglo-Saxon England as perceived by the large, lay audience, which is represented only rarely in the textual record. Considering the relationship between the interpretations of the period as evinced by literary, historical and archaeological evidence, the investigation considers the extent to which we can discern the presence and profile of an audience for the themes with which the evidence is concerned. The surviving vernacular texts of late Anglo-Saxon England indicate a growth in the importance of the canon of homiletic texts and an expansion of its function in the last decades of the tenth century. By considering the representation of the character of the devil and similar characters such as attendant demons, Antichrist, and human agents typologically and explicitly linked with the devil, this thesis takes the traditional approach of a thematic investigation and augments it by considering the impact of these representations in the context of their relative influence on audiences as evinced by their survival in the manuscript record. Considering the authors’ subsequent re-engagement with their own canons, this thesis seeks to locate attitudes towards audience and the manner in which the expressive opportunity offered by the devil is moulded to its function in motivating specific action in the texts’ audience. Through their representation of the devil, homilists show both active engagement with their audiences’ pastoral needs and anxiety about their limitations.