The revelation of the Monk of Eynsham
The revelation of the Monk of Eynsham

Author: Adam (of Eynsham)

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 396

ISBN-13: 9780197223215

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This is a late-15th-century translation of the late-12th-century 'Visio Monachi de Eynsham'. It recounts a vision of purgatory and paradise, peopled by contemporary figures such as King Henry II, experienced by the author's brother at the monastery of Eynsham in 1196.

Grotesque Purgatory
Grotesque Purgatory

Author: Henry W. Sullivan

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 9780271015149

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In this carefully researched and challenging study, Sullivan shows that chapters 22-24 (the Cave of Montesinos episode) represent an entrance into Purgatory, while chapter 55 is the exit from this realm. The Knight and his Squire are made to suffer excruciating torments in the chapters in between, experiencing a Purgatory in this life. This original reading of the book is coupled with an explanation that this Purgatory is "grotesque" since Don Quixote's and Sancho's sins are venial and can thus be cleansed by theological means against a background of comedy. By combining these two aspects, Sullivan exposes both the deeply agonizing and the comic aspects of the text. In addition, the combination of theological interpretation and Lacanian analysis to show Don Quixote's salvation/cure in this life results in a truly comprehensive vision of the Knight's progress.