c.
1370's, by
Julian of Norwich. Oldest
manuscript copies are untitled;
Revelations of Divine Love is the
translators' working title. The oldest English document that can be positively identified as having been authored by a woman. There are two texts, the Short Text and the Long Text. Scholarly analysis tends to the conclusion that, while Julian herself may have dictated the
Revelations, they are pretty faithfully transcribed (as evidenced by unity of style and language).
Julian's revelations are a series of
visions or "showings" she received, in a state of serious illness; her family thought she was dying. She complements her
testimony with detailed and lucid
analysis. One of the most interesting conclusions she reaches is
the nonexistence of Hell.