Anonymous, Wooing Group, Wohunge Group

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The Wohunge (Wooing) Group consists of four meditations, “An Orison of God Almighty”, “A Lovesong of our Lord”, “A Lovesong of our Lady” and “The Wooing of our Lord”, written in Middle English in the early thirteenth century. They share the dialect and provenance of

Ancrene Wisse

and the Katherine Group, to which they are connected by thematic and verbal similarities. They were thus probably intended for the same audience of anchoresses. The “Lovesong of our Lady” is based on a Latin original, but sources of the others are unknown.

The texts are written in a dense, rhythmic, alliterative, poetic prose which shows the influence both of the native English tradition and of French and Latin verse. They are variations on the Christian topos of God's marriage to the soul or

487 words

Citation: Salih, Sarah. "Wooing Group, Wohunge Group". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8864, accessed 19 March 2024.]

8864 Wooing Group, Wohunge Group 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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