Constructing the Text: A Comparative Study of Two Saints’ Lives Written c.1200

Abstract

This essay explores the ways in which hagiographers constructed their texts through a comparative analysis of two works written c.1200: the Life and Miracles of St Bega and the Life of St Bartholomew of Farne. Both texts recorded the lives of saints active in northern England, who developed modest regional followings and whose shrines were under the care of separate Benedictine communities. The essay approaches each text by focusing on two basic, but fundamental, questions: where did this material come from and why was it presented in this form? These questions highlight the process of composition and draw our attention to the ways in which authors selected, structured, and shaped their material. It is analysis that should underlie any historical interpretation of the text.