Hagiography

How it is used

Evaluate genre conventions; extraordinary episodes may reveal beliefs without providing literal event reports.

Example sentences

1. The hagiography presents charity as a sign of the saint's holiness.

   The narrative organizes a life around exemplary religious virtues.

2. She used hagiography to study ideals of care within the community.

   Devotional writing can supply evidence about values and expectations.

Common collocations

• medieval hagiography
• a work of hagiography

Related terms

• chronicleA written account of historical events arranged in the order in which they happened, usually composed during or soon after the period it describes.
• source criticismThe careful evaluation of a historical source to judge where it came from, who made it and why, and how reliable and useful it is for a particular question.

More terms: Sources and Archives

• primary source
• secondary source
• archive
• manuscript
• bias
• census
• oral history
• inscription
• provenance
• archivist
• palaeography
• diplomatics