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Articles by M. Breann Leake

postmedieval , 2020

Edited by M. Rambaran-Olm, M. Breann Leake, and Micah James Goodrich This is an issue of revolt.... more Edited by M. Rambaran-Olm, M. Breann Leake, and Micah James Goodrich

This is an issue of revolt. It revolts against those who find its contents,
contributors, and contributions revolting. The global resurgence of fascist
leaders, the violent terrorist attacks of white supremacists against communities of color, and the hateful rhetoric, with often deadly consequence, that has dominated our public and private forums of life make it all too clear that we must push back against institutionally-sanctioned cruelty with our collective might in order to protect each other and the futures that we imagine. Our calamitous times demand action, and this issue of postmedieval seizes our field’s megaphone.

Early Middle English, 2020

This paper considers traditional readings of two poems that occupy the temporal threshold between... more This paper considers traditional readings of two poems that occupy the temporal threshold between late Old and early Middle English. Specifically, it addresses the presence of "nostalgia" in scholarship on both works, which indicates a desire to return to origins of white heritage. Yet, rather than mourn a separation from an idealized origin, these poems contemplate and revel in the paradox of experiences at once distant and near, remote and local. In looking to the English past, they bear witness to the despair of loss and to the joy of fragmented preservation and continuation.

JEGP, 2020

Byrhtferth of Ramsey’s Enchiridion, itself a curious text, contains a remarkable reference to phy... more Byrhtferth of Ramsey’s Enchiridion, itself a curious text, contains a remarkable reference to phylacteries that, though only briefly mentioned in passing, opens a window into medieval understandings of archives and their place in the structure of divine learning. This paper explores medieval depictions of phylacteries, as well as Byrhtferth's own use of the phylactery as a repository for divine knowledge and correct devotional learning. He presents phylacteries as both material and mnemonic archives, vessels through which one can access and contemplate knowledge of God, a function that closely mirrors the intended uses of tefillin. Crucially, however, the image of the phylactery also reminds the reader that knowledge must be internalized within the spirit, and not just retained within the mind, in order to be truly useful to the individual and beneficial to the community. Byrhtferth’s phylacteries are thus an emblem of medieval archival erasure, as well as a metaphor for the archival preservation of Christian devotional writing. By reading these phylacteries as archives, we gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Jewish identity in early medieval England and the relationship between devotion and education. However, we also are able to critique the curation of an historical archive—to question the politics of archival preservation and erasure and to explore the consequences of these choices on the remaining historical narrative.

Public Writing by M. Breann Leake

Genealogies of Modernity, 2020

This article discusses a passing reference to Bede (d. 735) in Cotton Mather's (d. 1728)'s Magnal... more This article discusses a passing reference to Bede (d. 735) in Cotton Mather's (d. 1728)'s Magnalia Christi Americana. This reference to Bede is part of a larger mythography that Mather constructs in the Magnalia, and his pseudo-hagiographic narratives lay the groundwork for an American mythology of exceptionalism, manifest destiny, and global military presence.

Books by M. Breann Leake

I contributed lines 436-450. Edited by: Abbott, Jean Abbott, Elaine Treharne, and Mateusz Fafins... more I contributed lines 436-450.

Edited by: Abbott, Jean Abbott, Elaine Treharne, and Mateusz Fafinski

"Beowulf By All is the first ever community translation of the poem known as Beowulf, and is published here for the first time in workbook form as Beowulf By All: Community Translation and Workbook in order to provide space and an added incentive for readers to assemble their own working translations alongside this one."

https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/50261

CFPs by M. Breann Leake

Postmedieval, 2020

The global resurgence of fascist leaders, the violent terrorist attacks of white supremacists, an... more The global resurgence of fascist leaders, the violent terrorist attacks of white supremacists, and racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, and other hate-fueled rhetoric that has come to dominate our public and private forums of life makes it clear that we must collectively push back against institutionally sanctioned hate to help ensure the safety of our marginalized community members and to safeguard the futures we anticipate. White supremacist appeals to “purity” and fascist leaders’ grotesque captivation with national origin myths perpetuate ideologies of purgation. Mary Douglas’s early theorizations of purity and purgation in “Purity and Danger” were written against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement - the 1963 March on Washington, the Selma to Montgomery march of 1965, the formation of the Black Panthers in 1966, the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case of 1967. We are now in another position to reconsider the power of revolt and the revolting with its multifarious meanings. Our calamitous times demand a call to action, and this 10th-anniversary double-issue of postmedieval can be our field’s megaphone. Early English Studies (formerly Anglo-Saxon studies) in particular has been resistant to engage with theoretical texts and criticism, especially with relation to critical race theory, and recent conversations among medieval scholars have accentuated this problem in Early English studies and beyond. Thus, this special edition encourages contributors to engage in various theoretical discussions and approaches beyond white, Christian, Anglo-centric (or Eurocentric) methodologies. The goal of this special issue endeavors to delve into early English texts, history, art or related material and engage with scholarship that critiques the racism, homo- and transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, and misogyny long embedded in our scholarship and in our classrooms.

To this end, this special issue seeks papers on topics that capsize the racist narrative to which Medieval Studies broadly and Early English Studies especially have been held captive. We ask for papers that embrace ideas and bodies discarded in traditional discourse and that rebels against scholarship that is both sterilized and sterilizing. This issue encourages contributions from various disciplines and methodologies within all of Medieval Studies but wish to highlight the urgent and decisive intersectional work within Early English studies. Through this collaborative endeavor, we hope to create a compilation of essays that will declutter centuries worth of traditionalist, elitist and racist politics in the field. We endeavor to include pieces from various disciplines within Early English studies including literary, history, archaeology, art history, etc. that can serve as a foundational source for scholars and students as well as a catalyst for further research. In particular, we encourage scholarly articles that embrace critical race theory, gender and sexuality studies, class studies, et al., and/or the possibilities for overlap and discussions of intersectionality. Other approaches that confront revulsion and cultivate revolution are welcome.

List of authors coming soon.