Samantha Zacher | Cornell University (original) (raw)

Uploads

Books by Samantha Zacher

Research paper thumbnail of Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey

Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha, ed. Imagining the Jew in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016).

Most studies of Jews in medieval England begin with the year 1066, when Jews first arrived on Eng... more Most studies of Jews in medieval England begin with the year 1066, when Jews first arrived on English soil. Yet the absence of Jews in England before the conquest did not prevent early English authors from writing obsessively about them. Using material from the writings of the Church Fathers, contemporary continental sources, widespread cultural stereotypes, and their own imaginations, their depictions of Jews reflected their own politico-theological experiences.

The thirteen essays in Imagining the Jew in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture examine visual and textual representations of Jews, the translation and interpretation of Scripture, the use of Hebrew words and etymologies, and the treatment of Jewish spaces and landmarks. By studying the “imaginary Jews” of Anglo-Saxon England, they offer new perspectives on the treatment of race, religion, and ethnicity in pre- and post-conquest literature and culture.

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha, and Andy Orchard, eds. New Readings in the Vercelli Book. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series 4 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009).

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha. Preaching the Converted: the Style and Rhetoric of the Vercelli Book Homilies. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series 1 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009).

Research paper thumbnail of DeMaria, Robert Jr., Heesok Chang, Samantha Zacher, eds. A Companion to British Literature. 4 vols. (2160 pages), (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014).

Introduction to the Medieval Vol. 1 by Samantha Zacher

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha. Rewriting the Old Testament in Anglo-Saxon Verse: Becoming the Chosen People. New Directions in Religion and Literature Series (London: Bloomsbury Press, 2013).

The Bible played a crucial role in shaping Anglo-Saxon national and cultural identity. However, a... more The Bible played a crucial role in shaping Anglo-Saxon national and cultural identity. However, access to Biblical texts was necessarily limited to very few individuals in Medieval England. In this book, Samantha Zacher explores how the very earliest English Biblical poetry creatively adapted, commented on and spread Biblical narratives and traditions to the wider population. Systematically surveying the manuscripts of surviving poems, the book shows how these vernacular poets commemorated the Hebrews as God's 'chosen people' and claimed the inheritance of that status for Anglo-Saxon England. Drawing on contemporary translation theory, the book undertakes close readings of the poems Exodus, Daniel and Judith in order to examine their methods of adaptation for their particular theologico-political circumstances and the way they portray and problematize Judaeo-Christian religious identities.

Preface

Papers by Samantha Zacher

Research paper thumbnail of Babylon under Western Eyes: A Study of Allusion and Myth

Modern Language Quarterly, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Jews and Judaizing as Pathologies in the Anglo-Saxon Imagination: Toward a Theory of Early Somatic Anti-Judaism

The Old English Anonymous Homily: Sources, Composition, and Variation., eds. Susan Irvine and Winfried Rudolf, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Anglo­-Saxon Maccabees: Political Theology in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints

Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey. Eds., Maren Clegg Hyer, Haruko Momma, and Samantha Zacher, 2020

“Anglo-Saxon Maccabees: Political Theology in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints.” In Old English Lexicolog... more “Anglo-Saxon Maccabees: Political Theology in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints.” In Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey. Eds., Maren Clegg Hyer, Haruko Momma, and Samantha Zacher. Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer, 2020, 143–58

Research paper thumbnail of Sir Gowther 's Canine Penance: Forms of Animal Asceticism from Cynic Philosophy to Medieval Romance

Chaucer Review , 2017

This article examines the extraordinary penance prescribed to Sir Gowther, which permits him to e... more This article examines the extraordinary penance prescribed to Sir Gowther, which permits him to eat only food that is received from "the mouths of dogs" and forbids him from communicating in human language. There has been much debate as to whether Gowther's canine performance should be understood as symbolic or literal, performed or essential, rehabilitative or punitive. Drawing on previously unexplored analogues from the Perceval/Parzival cycle in which sinful knights undergo comparable canine performances, this article argues that Gowther's penance represents a rehabilitative and curative "technology of the self. " Moreover, it demonstrates that the ultimate inspiration for Gowther's penance derives from the legends of the Cynics, who advocated living life in the manner of dogs and according to the barest possible forms of animal existence. In the final analysis, the tale of Sir Gowther embraces a view of animality that rejects the normative hierarchy God-human-animal, and posits a surprising inversion: God-Christian-animal-sinner.

Research paper thumbnail of "Judaism and National Identity in Medieval English Literature." The Routledge Companion to Literature and Religion. Ed. Mark Knight (London: Routledge, 2016), 367–78.

Research paper thumbnail of • ‘Re-reading the Style and Rhetoric of the Vercelli Homilies.’ Precedence, Practice, and Appropriation: The Old English Homily. SEM 17, ed. Aaron Kleist (Turnhout: Brepols, 2007), 173–207.

Precedent, Practice, and Appropriation, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Source of Vercelli VII: an Address to Women.’ New Readings in the Vercelli Book, eds. Samantha Zacher and Andy Orchard. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series 4 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009), 98–149.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Chosen People: Spiritual Identities.’ The Oxford Handbook of Medieval English Literature, eds. Elaine Treharne and Greg Walker (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 457–77.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Sin, Syntax, and Synonyms: Rhetorical Structure and Style in Vercelli Homily X.’ JEGP 103 (2004), 53–76.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Rewards of Poetry: “Homiletic” Verse in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 201.’ SELIM 12 (2003–4), 83–108.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Circumscribing the Text: Writings on Circumcision in Anglo-Saxon England.’ Old English Literature and the Old Testament, eds. Michael Fox and Manish Sharma (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012), 89–118.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Multilingualism at the Court of King Æthelstan: Latin Praise Poetry and The Battle of Brunanburh.’ Conceptualizing Multilingualism in England, 800–1250, ed. Elizabeth M. Tyler (Turnhout: Brepols, 2012), 77–104.

Research paper thumbnail of Cynewulf at the Interface of Literacy and Orality: The Evidence of the Puns in Elene

Research paper thumbnail of ALASTAIR MINNIS and JANE ROBERTS (eds), Text, Image, Interpretation: Studies in Anglo-Saxon Literature and its Insular Context in Honour of Eamonn O Carragain

Notes and Queries, 2009

... The question of audience is also central to Elaine Treharne's contribution in Part II, w... more ... The question of audience is also central to Elaine Treharne's contribution in Part II, which argues that the Vercelli Book may have ... In contrast to the journey motif, Eric Stanley and Richard North consider, in different ways, notions of fixity and home; Stanley examining contexts for ...

Research paper thumbnail of Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey

Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha, ed. Imagining the Jew in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016).

Most studies of Jews in medieval England begin with the year 1066, when Jews first arrived on Eng... more Most studies of Jews in medieval England begin with the year 1066, when Jews first arrived on English soil. Yet the absence of Jews in England before the conquest did not prevent early English authors from writing obsessively about them. Using material from the writings of the Church Fathers, contemporary continental sources, widespread cultural stereotypes, and their own imaginations, their depictions of Jews reflected their own politico-theological experiences.

The thirteen essays in Imagining the Jew in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture examine visual and textual representations of Jews, the translation and interpretation of Scripture, the use of Hebrew words and etymologies, and the treatment of Jewish spaces and landmarks. By studying the “imaginary Jews” of Anglo-Saxon England, they offer new perspectives on the treatment of race, religion, and ethnicity in pre- and post-conquest literature and culture.

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha, and Andy Orchard, eds. New Readings in the Vercelli Book. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series 4 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009).

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha. Preaching the Converted: the Style and Rhetoric of the Vercelli Book Homilies. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series 1 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009).

Research paper thumbnail of DeMaria, Robert Jr., Heesok Chang, Samantha Zacher, eds. A Companion to British Literature. 4 vols. (2160 pages), (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014).

Introduction to the Medieval Vol. 1 by Samantha Zacher

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Samantha. Rewriting the Old Testament in Anglo-Saxon Verse: Becoming the Chosen People. New Directions in Religion and Literature Series (London: Bloomsbury Press, 2013).

The Bible played a crucial role in shaping Anglo-Saxon national and cultural identity. However, a... more The Bible played a crucial role in shaping Anglo-Saxon national and cultural identity. However, access to Biblical texts was necessarily limited to very few individuals in Medieval England. In this book, Samantha Zacher explores how the very earliest English Biblical poetry creatively adapted, commented on and spread Biblical narratives and traditions to the wider population. Systematically surveying the manuscripts of surviving poems, the book shows how these vernacular poets commemorated the Hebrews as God's 'chosen people' and claimed the inheritance of that status for Anglo-Saxon England. Drawing on contemporary translation theory, the book undertakes close readings of the poems Exodus, Daniel and Judith in order to examine their methods of adaptation for their particular theologico-political circumstances and the way they portray and problematize Judaeo-Christian religious identities.

Preface

Research paper thumbnail of Babylon under Western Eyes: A Study of Allusion and Myth

Modern Language Quarterly, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Jews and Judaizing as Pathologies in the Anglo-Saxon Imagination: Toward a Theory of Early Somatic Anti-Judaism

The Old English Anonymous Homily: Sources, Composition, and Variation., eds. Susan Irvine and Winfried Rudolf, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Zacher, Anglo­-Saxon Maccabees: Political Theology in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints

Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey. Eds., Maren Clegg Hyer, Haruko Momma, and Samantha Zacher, 2020

“Anglo-Saxon Maccabees: Political Theology in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints.” In Old English Lexicolog... more “Anglo-Saxon Maccabees: Political Theology in Ælfric’s Lives of Saints.” In Old English Lexicology and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Antonette diPaolo Healey. Eds., Maren Clegg Hyer, Haruko Momma, and Samantha Zacher. Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer, 2020, 143–58

Research paper thumbnail of Sir Gowther 's Canine Penance: Forms of Animal Asceticism from Cynic Philosophy to Medieval Romance

Chaucer Review , 2017

This article examines the extraordinary penance prescribed to Sir Gowther, which permits him to e... more This article examines the extraordinary penance prescribed to Sir Gowther, which permits him to eat only food that is received from "the mouths of dogs" and forbids him from communicating in human language. There has been much debate as to whether Gowther's canine performance should be understood as symbolic or literal, performed or essential, rehabilitative or punitive. Drawing on previously unexplored analogues from the Perceval/Parzival cycle in which sinful knights undergo comparable canine performances, this article argues that Gowther's penance represents a rehabilitative and curative "technology of the self. " Moreover, it demonstrates that the ultimate inspiration for Gowther's penance derives from the legends of the Cynics, who advocated living life in the manner of dogs and according to the barest possible forms of animal existence. In the final analysis, the tale of Sir Gowther embraces a view of animality that rejects the normative hierarchy God-human-animal, and posits a surprising inversion: God-Christian-animal-sinner.

Research paper thumbnail of "Judaism and National Identity in Medieval English Literature." The Routledge Companion to Literature and Religion. Ed. Mark Knight (London: Routledge, 2016), 367–78.

Research paper thumbnail of • ‘Re-reading the Style and Rhetoric of the Vercelli Homilies.’ Precedence, Practice, and Appropriation: The Old English Homily. SEM 17, ed. Aaron Kleist (Turnhout: Brepols, 2007), 173–207.

Precedent, Practice, and Appropriation, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Source of Vercelli VII: an Address to Women.’ New Readings in the Vercelli Book, eds. Samantha Zacher and Andy Orchard. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series 4 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009), 98–149.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Chosen People: Spiritual Identities.’ The Oxford Handbook of Medieval English Literature, eds. Elaine Treharne and Greg Walker (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 457–77.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Sin, Syntax, and Synonyms: Rhetorical Structure and Style in Vercelli Homily X.’ JEGP 103 (2004), 53–76.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Rewards of Poetry: “Homiletic” Verse in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 201.’ SELIM 12 (2003–4), 83–108.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Circumscribing the Text: Writings on Circumcision in Anglo-Saxon England.’ Old English Literature and the Old Testament, eds. Michael Fox and Manish Sharma (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012), 89–118.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Multilingualism at the Court of King Æthelstan: Latin Praise Poetry and The Battle of Brunanburh.’ Conceptualizing Multilingualism in England, 800–1250, ed. Elizabeth M. Tyler (Turnhout: Brepols, 2012), 77–104.

Research paper thumbnail of Cynewulf at the Interface of Literacy and Orality: The Evidence of the Puns in Elene

Research paper thumbnail of ALASTAIR MINNIS and JANE ROBERTS (eds), Text, Image, Interpretation: Studies in Anglo-Saxon Literature and its Insular Context in Honour of Eamonn O Carragain

Notes and Queries, 2009

... The question of audience is also central to Elaine Treharne's contribution in Part II, w... more ... The question of audience is also central to Elaine Treharne's contribution in Part II, which argues that the Vercelli Book may have ... In contrast to the journey motif, Eric Stanley and Richard North consider, in different ways, notions of fixity and home; Stanley examining contexts for ...

Research paper thumbnail of Sources of Anglo-Saxon Literary Culture: The Apocrypha (review

Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of RICHARD J. KELLY (ed.), The Blickling Homilies: Edition and Translation. Pp. lx+232. London, New York: Continuum, 2003. Hardbound 31.50 (ISBN 0 8264 6785 7