Women and Writing in Early Europe - A Sourcebook (Hardcover)

This is a collection of writing by, for and about medieval women. The book's selection of primary source material goes beyond existing sterotypes to raise vital questions of representation and autobiography. This sourcebook gathers together material drawn from a wide geographical and chronological range, spanning 1000 years and ranging from Iceland to Byzantium. The selections include literary, historical, theological and other types of narrative and imaginative writing. The pieces explore the themes central to medieval women's lives and their relationship to cultural and social institutions. Topics covered include marriage, love, sex and friendship, motherhood and work, women and Christianity, women and power, education and knowledge and women and the arts. This book should be useful reading for the student of medieval literature.