Shari Horner, a professor of English at Shippensburg University, held a lecture on the medieval lives of women saints and literature at the Women’s and Gender Studies Spring Faculty Colloquium on March 18.

Horner has been a professor in the English Department since 1998 and is celebrating her 27th year. She also served four years as the director of the women’s studies program and nine years as chair of the English department.

Horner is the author of a book, “The Discourse of Enclosure: Representing Women in Old English Literature.” The book has been published in numerous articles and book chapters, combining themes of literacy and gender. As noted by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, “She has been a fierce advocate for gender equity and women’s rights on our campus.”

Titled “Reading the Unwritten,” Horner’s lecture aimed at bringing the topics of gender and Old English literature together in a way many may not have previously thought about. She began by stating how important this education is for our community. “Without it, we can’t survive, and neither can Ship,” she said. 

The first pieces of literature she spoke about were poetry, which she mentioned were some of the only poems told from a women’s perspective in the Old English world. One of these poems included “Wulf and Eadwacer,” which portrays a woman separated from her husband who finds herself longing for another man. 

The heart of Horner’s lecture revolved around the Medieval Lives of Women Saints, and how they were presented spiritually, narratively in pieces of text, and physically in fragments of bodies and through other means. She divided her lecture into talking about three different virgin martyr saints: St. Margaret, St. Christina of Bolsena and St. Cecilia. 

Horner first talked about St. Margaret, who anticipated her life would be valuable for childbirth, and many people looked to her for help with this. St. Christina of Bolsena is widely recognized for her unwavering faith and resilience as a result of her imprisonment. 

The last saint Horner mentioned was St. Cecilia, whose body and scars became both an instrument for speech and a visual sign, which could be interpreted further for spiritual meaning.

Horner highlighted that the relationship between women and femininity in all the medieval texts surrounding these saints was showcased in how their bodies were textualized, especially in scenes of torture during their imprisonments. In these pieces of literature, there was an overarching theme of suffering and how even through suffering one could still achieve everlasting life.

The colloquium concluded with a Q&A, followed by celebrating Horner’s time at Ship. She was presented gifts and all the thanks for her contributions toward the university.  

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