Exeter College alumna publishes Light on Darkness and Medieval Commentary and Exegesis
Exeter College alumna Dr Cosima Gillhammer (2010, English) has published two new books, Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy and Medieval Commentary and Exegesis: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, marking a significant contribution to the study of medieval liturgy and intellectual culture.
Dr Gillhammer, now a Career Development Fellow in Medieval English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, specialises in manuscript study and medieval religious culture. Her latest publications reflect the breadth and depth of her research, bringing fresh perspectives to both the history of religious rituals and interpretative traditions in the medieval period.
Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy, published by Reaktion Books, offers a captivating journey through the history of religious rituals in Western Europe, showcasing the profound impact of medieval liturgy on art, literature, music, and architecture. Through ten evocative stories, it explores medieval rituals and their cultural influence up to the present day, providing fresh insights into the enduring legacy of the liturgy as an expression of human emotion and religious experience.
Her second volume, Medieval Commentary and Exegesis: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, co-edited with Audrey Southgate and published by Boydell & Brewer, takes a more textually focused approach. With contributions by world-leading scholars, the edited volume investigates the traditions of commentary that shaped medieval scholarship, considering how texts were interpreted, annotated, and transmitted across generations. By situating these practices within their broader intellectual contexts, the book sheds light on the dynamic relationship between readers, texts, and knowledge in the medieval world.
Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy is available to purchase from Blackwells and other booksellers and Medieval Commentary and Exegesis: Interdisciplinary Perspectives is available from Boydell & Brewer (use code BB135 for a 30% discount).
