Woman Defamed and Woman Defended: An Anthology of Medieval Texts - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198710399 ISBN 13: 9780198710394

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1996

Synopsis

`It is impossible / That any clerk wol speke good of wyves.' Behind the words of Chaucer's Wife of Bath lies a vast corpus of medieval misogynistic writings. These texts, which range from those of the Church Fathers to a rich array of vernacular literature, have had a profound effect on the status of women in the West.

Yet, despite the recent surge of investigations into women's situation, no one book has sought to collect together the key voices of medieval antifeminism, let alone to present the voices sometimes raised, even at that epoch, in defence of women. The urgent need for a single and substantial sourcebook of these materials in modern translation is met for the first time in this volume, which includes an introduction, notes, and commentary. The accessibility of the better-known texts here (from Jerome to Walter Map; from Héloise and Abelard to Christine de Pizan and Chaucer) will be welcomed by those engaged in medieval and women's studies; the lesser-known writings concerning for instance the sexual `double standard', and women and the priesthood, will provide unexpected discoveries for specialists and beginners alike. Indeed, a surprising range of early texts championing women - including material never previously available in translation - is here represented.

All those concerned with women's studies and with medieval and later culture (European as well as English) will find Woman Defamed and Woman Defended fascinating to read as well as a useful resource.

About this title

Review

'fine anthology ... Woman Defamed and Woman Defended will be staying out on the desk'Times Literary Supplement

'fascinating anthology of medieval writings ... the selections in Woman Defamed are presented in clear, modern English, including many new translations by Blamires ... I admit I took perverse delight in dipping into the wellsprings of Western misogyny. Ultimately, however, skimming for fun and outrage does a disservice to the real importance of Blamires' book. A steady, cumulative reading of the anti-feminist tracts in Woman Defamed is an opportunity to peer into the distant past and find it disturbingly familiar.'Pamela J. Petro, The Women's Review of Book, Vol. X, No. 5/February 1993

A most significant contribution...This anthology meets the urgent need for a single and substantial sourcebook (The Way)

Synopsis

This sourcebook of texts in modern translation makes accessible key anti-feminist works, together with a surprising range of early texts championing women. This book is intended for all post sixth-form levels of scholarship studying English and European medieval literature (particularly Chaucer), culture, history and women's studies. Assisted by: Pratt, Karen; Unknown function: Marx, C. W.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198710399
• ISBN 13: 9780198710394
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352