Medieval Women Writers

Description

This is one of the first anthologies devoted to the writings of women in the Middle Ages. The fifteen women whose works are represented span seven centuries, eight languages, and ten regions or nationalities. Many are recognized, taught, and anthologized in their own countries but have been inaccessible to students in English. Others are little read today because their literary fortunes have paralleled fluctuations in literary taste and literary patronage. Katharina M. Wilson's introduction to the volume places these writers in historical context and explores the question of the female imagination and who these women were who were writing at a time when very few women were literate and most literature, sacred and secular, was penned by men. Each of the fifteen chapters has been written by a different scholar and includes a biographical and critical introduction to the writer, a representative selection of her works in translation, and a bibliography. Introduction / KATHARINA M. WILSON vii The Frankish Mother: Dhuoda / JAMES MARCHAND 1 The Saxon Canoness: Hrotsvit of Gandersheim / KATHARINA M. WILSON 30 The French Courtly Poet: Marie de France / JOAN M. FERRANTE 64 The French Scholar-Lover: Heloise / BETTY RADICE 90 The German Visionary: Hildegard of Bingen / KENT KRAFT IO9 The Provençal Trobairitz: Castelloza / PETER DRONKE 131 The German Mystic: Mechthild of Magdeburg / JOHN HOWARD 153 The Brabant Mystic: Hadewijch / RIA VANDERAUWERA 186 The French Heretic Beguine: Marguerite Porete / GWENDOLYN BRYANT 204 The Swedish Visionary: Saint Bridget / BARBARA OBRIST 227 The Tuscan Visionary: Saint Catherine of Siena / JOSEPH BERRIGAN 252 The English Mystic: Julian of Norwich / CATHERINE JONES 269 The English Religious Enthusiast: Margery Kempe / WILLIAM PROVOST 297 The Spanish Love Poet: Florencia Pinar / JOSEPH SNOW 320 The Franco-ltalian Professional Writer: Christine de Pizan / CHARITY CANNON WILLARD 333 Notes on Contributors 365