Catherine-Rose Hailstone

Thesis

Thesis

Fear in the Mind and Works of Gregory of Tours

Supervisor: Professor Guy Halsall

Research

Research

The histories of Merovingian Gaul, Gregory of Tours, emotions (especially fear), and early Christian theology are the primary focuses of Catherine's research. Her doctoral thesis, funded by the AHRC White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities, is uncovering how Gregory of Tours comprehended and used the fear of God and demonically-inspired fear in his collective works. Exploring how Gregory understood these fears, as far as is possible, how and why he used them in his writings, and how his use of these fears is similar and dissimilar to that of his late antique peers, are the focal aspects of Catherine's thesis. Alongside fear and Gregory of Tours, Catherine is further interested in the variety of methodologies which humanities scholars create and use to engage with past emotions. She has recently completed a secondment project with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions 1100-1800 at the University of Western Australia (June 2018).

Catherine's other major project is a Latin-English translation of one of Gregory's works: The Miracles of the Blessed Apostle Andrew, which she hopes to publish in the near future. She has studied: the use of space in the churches of the late antique west, power and rulership in the Merovingian world, letter writing in late Imperial Rome, early medieval western science – theory and practice – and the philosophy of History.

Catherine is currently applying for postdoctoral funding to support a project on Emotional Architectures: Atmospheres of Power in Late Antique Churches.

External activities

External activities

Horseriding (BD) and 15th Century German Messer Fencing (York School of Defence)