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Loading... Medieval Writings on Secular Women (Penguin Classics)by Patricia Skinner (Editor), Elisabeth M. C. Van Houts (Editor)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This is a really interesting collection of medieval primary sources in English translation—the editors have pulled together a wide range of sources relating to medieval lay women from birth to death. Conscious of the kinds of biases that usually affect such collections, they've purposefully tried to include sources from across the medieval world, from Scotland to Egypt, al-Andalus to Rus, relating to Christian, Jewish and Muslim women. It makes for interesting reading (divorces, suicides, elopements, oh my), though as with all source books it's not best suited to reading from cover to cover—it's best to dip in and out of it, for while the editors have loosely grouped the documents according to how they relate to the medieval ideal of the female life cycle, they're not otherwise organised chronologically/geographically. I'll definitely keep it to hand when putting together assignments in the future. ( ) no reviews | add a review
This remarkable collection brings together a host of writings from across different regions and cultures of the Middle Ages, from the ninth to the fifteenth century. They are arranged to follow the life stages of a Medieval woman living a secular existence, from infancy and girlhood, through marriage and motherhood, to widowhood and old age. Some women are captured in exceptional circumstances, such as the transcript from Joan of Arc's trial describing her rural childhood, or a letter written by Edward I's mother. Many others are anonymous or humble: an account of an abandoned baby in Italy, a disturbing description of a slave girl by a Baghdad diplomat, an epitaph for the female leader of a synagogue. Speaking across the ages, here are wry, moving voices that were written out of history. Containing many newly translated pieces, this selection is accompanied by an introduction discussing the Medieval woman's life and legal status. There are also separate introductions to each chapter and background information on each piece.--From publisher description. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)305.40902Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Groups of people Women Women - subdivisions Biography And HistoryLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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