Julian of Norwich and her children today: Editions, translations and versions of her revelations

The viability of such concepts as "authorial intention," "the original text," "critical edition" and, above all, "scholarly editorial objectivity" is not what it was, and a study of the textual progeny of the revelations of Julian of Norwich--editions, versions, translations and selections--does little to rehabilitate them. Rather it tends to support the view that a history of reading is indeed a history of misreading or, more positively, that texts can have an organic life of their own that allows them to reproduce and evolve quite independently of their author. Julian's texts have had a more robustly continuous life than those of any other Middle English mystic. Their history--in manuscript and print, in editions more or less approximating Middle English and in translations more or less approaching Modern English--is virtually unbroken since the fifteenth century. But on this perilous journey, many and strange are the clutches into which she and her textual progeny have fallen

An introduction to Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Don. e. 247

On Wednesday, May 21, 2014, a newly discovered manuscript of The Chastising of God’s Children that was part of the Marquess of Londonderry’s art collection (in its turn auctioned on May 22 and 23, 2014)2 was sold at Christie’s in London. Lot 11, “The Chastysing of Godde’s [sic] Children, and other mystical treatises, in Middle English,”3 was acquired by the Bodleian Library. In this essay, the manuscript, which is now Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Don. e. 247, is described in detail, the “other mystical treatises” are investigated, and the text of The Chastising in this newly discovered attestation is compared to the versions in the eleven known manuscripts and in Wynkyn de Worde’s printed edition

Demonstration projects of nearly zero-energy housing renovation as a vehicle to market development

The EU ‘Energy Performance of Buildings Directive’ (2010/31/EU) requires Member States to ensure that all new buildings which are constructed by 2021 are nearly zero-energy buildings. This requirement takes effect in 2019 for public buildings. Actions and measures must be taken to increase the number of nearly zero-energy buildings for both new and existing buildings. The number of new buildings is only a fragment of the complete building stock, and with the current rate and depth of renovation a large potential on energy savings is being neglected with the risk of not reaching the EU policy goals. In most countries implementation of holistic energy efficient solutions in the housing sector is still at an early market development stage. However, the state of the art regarding available technology solutions is rather at an advanced level. Also, there are emerging examples of deep renovation that can be used for knowledge, experience, awareness raising and promotion. To realise these high quality house renovations as well as increase in their number, novel business approaches for this emerging market are needed.OTB ResearchOTB Research Institute for the Built Environmen