Medieval Holy Women in the Christian Tradition c.1100-c.1500

Description

Medieval Holy Women in the Christian Tradition offers the first wide-ranging study of the remarkable women who contributed to the efflorescence of female piety and visionary experience in Europe between 1100 and 1500. This volume offers essays by prominent scholars in the field which extend the boundaries of our previous knowledge and understanding of medieval holy women. While some essays provide new perspectives on the familiar names of the unofficial canon of mulieres sanctae, many others bring into the spotlight women less familiar now, but influential in their own time and richly deserving of scholarly attention. The five general essays establish a context for understanding the issues affecting female religious witness in the later Middle Ages. The geographical arrangement of the volume allows the reader to develop an awareness of the particular cultural and religious forces in seven different regions and to recognize how these influenced the writing and reception of the holy women of that area. Seventeen major figures have essays devoted exclusively to each of them; in addition, the survey chapters on each region introduce the reader to many more. The extensive bibliographies which follow each chapter encourage further reading and study. Alastair Minnis was Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies and Head of the Department of English at the University of York, and is currently Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of English at Yale University. A Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and of the English Association, he is the author of six monographs and the editor or co-editor of fifteen further volumes. Rosalynn Voaden (D.Phil., University of York, UK) is the author of God’s Words, Women’s Voices, and is the editor or co-editor of several volumes in the field. She was a Research Fellow at St Anne’s College, Oxford, and is currently Associate Professor of English at Arizona State University. Front matter (“Contents”, “List of Illustrations”, “List of Abbreviations”), p. i Free Access Introduction, p. 1 Alastair Minnis, Rosalynn Voaden https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2617 Flesh and Spirit: The Female Body, p. 13 Dyan Elliott https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2618 Religious Roles: Public and Private, p. 47 Alastair Minnis https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2619 Women’s Textual Authority and the Collaboration of Clerics, p. 83 John Coakley https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2620 Communal Life: The Sister-books, p. 105 John van Engen https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2621 Women and Dissent, p. 133 Peter Biller https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2622 Holy Women in the British Isles: A Survey, p. 165 Anne Clark Bartlett https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2623 Julian of Norwich, p. 195 Liz Herbert McAvoy https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2624 Margery Kempe, p. 217 Anthony Goodman https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2625 Holy Women in France: A Survey, p. 241 Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2626 Heloise, p. 267 Constant J. Mews https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2627 Marguerite Porete, p. 291 Michael G. Sargent https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2628 Holy Women in the German Territories: A Survey, p. 313 Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2629 Hildegard of Bingen, p. 343 Kathryn Kerby-Fulton https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2630 Elisabeth of Schönau, p. 371 Anne L. Clark https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2631 Margaret Ebner, p. 393 Barbara Koch https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2632 Mechthild of Magdeburg, p. 411 Amy Hollywood, Patricia Z. Beckman https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2633 Mechtild of Hackeborn, p. 431 Rosalynn Voaden https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2634 Gertrude the Great of Helfta, p. 453 Alexandra Barratt, Debra L. Stoudt https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2635 Dorothy of Montau, p. 475 Ute Stargardt https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2636 Iberian Holy Women: A Survey, p. 499 Ronald E. Surtz https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2637 Italian Holy Women: A Survey, p. 529 E. Ann Matter https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2638 Agnes of Prague and Guglielma of Milan, p. 557 Barbara Newman https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2639 Angela of Foligno, p. 581 Cristina Mazzoni https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2640 Catherine of Siena, p. 601 Suzanne Noffke https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2641 Holy Women of the Low Countries: A Survey, p. 625 Walter Simons https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2642 Hadewijch, p. 663 Saskia Murk-Jansen https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2643 Holy Women of Scandinavia: A Survey, p. 689 Claire L. Sahlin https://doi.org/10.1484/M.BCEEC-EB.3.2644 Back matter (“List of Contributors”, “Index”), p. 725