Fictions of the Inner Life

Book excerpt: The quest for self-knowledge lay at the heart of man's journey toward God, so believed the religious authors of the 11th and 12th centuries. This book presents a specialised and, at times, challenging, study of interiority' in the treatises of four monks: Peter Damian, Hugh of Saint-Victor, Richard of Saint-Victor and William of Saint-Thierry. Spiker examines in detail the concept of the inner self in monastic and theological traditions, the exploration of the inner self through withdrawal from society and the role of spiritual combat' in this quest. The study also examines the arguments of the monks and places their ideas within the wider context of medieval religion. Extracts are presented in English translation.