Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
17th International IDEA Conference: Studies in English, Elazığ, Türkiye, 7 - 09 Mayıs 2025, ss.132, (Özet Bildiri)
This study argues that the medieval pilgrimage motif is not restricted to physical journeys; rather it also incorporates spiritual pilgrimages which occur within the realm of the soul and spirit. Medieval pilgrimages, shown in canonical works such as Piers Plowman and The Canterbury Tales, serve as a central theme in medieval literature. This paper puts forward that the personae in other medieval works of moral and spiritual inquiry, such as the dream poems, also embark on symbolic journeys that mirror the pilgrimage motif. These spiritual journeys develop into a pursuit for truth, enlightenment, and personal transformation. These personae undergo phases of reflection, introspection, and reintegration, navigating spaces of ambiguity where their worldly dilemmas are resolved. Thus, these spiritual pilgrimages, akin to the rites of passage in physical pilgrimages, lead the individual toward moral, theological, and/ or mystical enlightenment. Through an examination of selected works, this study highlights the way this spiritual realm within medieval literature serves as a liminal space, enabling a deeper understanding of the self and one’s place in the spiritual framework of the Middle Ages. In this light, this paper explores the potential for a spiritual perspective to be applied to the pilgrimage motif in the Middle Ages.