"Why Gost Thu in White?": A Non-Question Reconsidered as a Genuine Request for Information (2012)

Margery Kempe was often asked why she traveled dressed in white, but this seems never to have been genuine request for information. Reading her late fourteenth-century story of pilgrimage from perspective introduced by J.L. Austin in 1953 series of lectures later published under title How To Do Things with Words, I argued in an essay titled Trials and Triumphs of Homeward Journey (1) that, since it was immediately followed by 'Art thu mayden?' Archbishop of York's 'Why gost thu in white?' (Book 2923) (2) could hardly have been genuine question. At this point in her life story Margery Kempe was over sixty years old. Considering Archbishop of York's second in relation to his frst and Middle English Dictionary defnition of maiden as a young unmarried woman, along with facts that he could see that Margery was not young and could have known she was wife of John Kempe, it seemed apparent to me that he already had an he intended to extract from woman who stood before him. But now I propose to give attention to Archbishop's two questions as genuine attempts to gain information. This will involve giving attention to Margery's reported exchanges with Christ Himself with reference to conditions John R. Searle spelled out in Speech Acts: An Essay in Philosophy of Language, his further development of Austin's interpretive perspective. Searle's requirements read as follows: 1. The Speaker does not know the answer, i.e., does not know if proposition is true. 2. It is not obvious to both Speaker and Hearer that Hearer will provide information without being asked. 3. The Speaker wants this information. 4. And his counts as an attempt to elicit this information from Hearer. (66) And this is context in which Archbishop of York plays role of Speaker. As Louise Collis notes in Memoirs of Medieval Woman, members of archbishop's household amuse themselves before he begins his interrogation by calling out 'loller' and 'heretyke' and expressing their anticipation of seeing Margery burned at stake (203). Collis also points out that Archbishop was extremely anti-Lollard and that at this time Council of Constance was dealing with a certain beastly sect which went about dressed in white (203), providing reason enough, I think, since Margery does travel dressed in white, to read archbishop's question as close to being an accusation of heresy. But, as Margery tells her story, it is clear that she is no heretic.3 She is instead woman devoted to service of Christ, whose voice she first hears as she emerges from state of madness after very difficult birth of her first child. These are words she hears: 'Dowtyr [Daughter], why hast thow forsakyn me, and I forsoke nevyr the?' (173). The speech has form of question, but it can be read as gentle correction. And then sky turns as bright as lightning, and Margery sees that Christ rises beautifully and gradually and remains visible until eyr closes again. Healed by this experience, she is able to return to her household duties Margery's second communication with Christ comes after period of sexual temptation followed by her self-fagellation and surreptitious wearing of hair shirt. Christ appears to her on Friday before Christmas day as she kneels in chapel at church of St. Margaret, comforts her, tells her she must give up hair shirt she has been wearing, and promises her His continued support with these words: ... thow schalt have vyctory of al thin enmys. I schal geve grace inow [enough] to answer every clerke [learned man] in love of God. I swer to be my mageste that I schal nevyr forsakyn in wel ne in wo [in good times or in bad]. I schal helpyn and kepyn the, that ther schal nevyr devyl in helle parte fro me, ne awngel [angel] in hevyn, ne man in erthe, for develys in helle mow not [can not], ne awngelys in hevyn wyl not [wish not], ne man in erthe schal not. …