Julian of Norwich: how did she know what she knew?

Julian of Norwich (1342-1416), was a Christian mystic whose writings, Revelation of Love and A Book of Showings, are the earliest surviving texts in the English language written by a woman. The question that has puzzled scholars for centuries follows: How could a woman of her time express her vision in such innovative and literary language? The reason scholars have puzzled over this for centuries is that women had been denied access to traditional education. Some scholars have answered this problem through close textual comparisons linking her text to those in the patristic tradition or through modern feminist theory. Yet, wider forms of education can account for her innovative language. She drew from a rich reservoir of rhetorical models readily available to her in oral discourse and visual art. This article establishes Norwich as a vibrant cultural hub, filled with interconnected textual, oral and visual rhetoric.