Introduction 1
Kempe Studies 3
The Performative Turn 10
The Dissertation 17
Chapter One Butler and Medieval Performativity 26
From Shakespeare to Butler：The World as Stage 27
The Theatre of Faith：Margery's Christian-ness as Performance 34
Chapter Two Late Medieval Cacophony and the Birth of“This Creature” 56
Butler Trouble 57
The Never-Solo Land of Margery Kempe 61
The Birth ofa Free-Lance Mystic 71
Chapter Three The Politics of Speech 86
Mystical Speech and Austinian Performativity 87
Speech Felicitous and the Management of Performatives 96
Speech Infelicitous：Erasure and Penalties 105
Chapter Four The Poetics of Dissent 112
New Performatives and the New Theatre 113
Secular Places,Sacred Space 115
Dressing Up,Dressing Down 124
Bodies That Litter 130
Chapter Five The Poetry of Silence 139
Silence vs.Silences 140
The Right of Silence 142
The Rhythm of Noise 150
Conclusion 160
Appendix 173
Bibliography 178