Spazieren und Beten
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: The ›Rennewart‹ by Ulrich von Türheim describes a daily habit Willehalm pursues shortly before his death: vespertine walks that help him to say his prayers fully. The description of this routine serves as the focal point for studying how the text frames different forms of religious life in addition to the contrast between chivalric and monastic or eremitic forms of life. The article argues that the main issue in the text is not establishing a hierarchy between different forms of life, but rather addressing the question to what extent an individual can adapt established forms of life. Drawing both on a close reading of the moniage part of the text and on a reconstruction of the cultural semantics of promenading, the article interprets Willehalm’s habit of walking as an idiosyncratic practice of religious life.
Author: Henrike Manuwald
Institution: University of Göttingen
Language: English
Subfield: Classics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3196655663