Women writers of the Middle Ages : a critical study of texts from Perpetua ( 203) to Marguerite Porete ( 1310) / Peter Dronke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dronke, Peter.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women authors.

Literature, Medieval--History and criticism.

Literature, Medieval.

Physical Description:

xi, 338 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Summary:

This book is the first to give a detailed picture of the contributions made by women writers to western literature from the third century to the thirteenth. Many of the texts Peter Dronke presents and interprets have hitherto remained unknown, or virtually inaccessible; some have never been edited or translated before. The emphasis throughout is on personal testimonies, and on texts that have notable literary or intellectual interest. Thus the book affords many new insights into medieval literature, not only into the writings of renowned women such as Hrotsvitha or Heloise, but also into those of a number of neglected writers who are exceptional in their gifts and individuality.

Already highly influential, Women Writers of the Middle Ages continues to be essential reading for specialists and students alike in medieval literature, medieval intellectual history, and women's studies.

Contents:

1 From Perpetua to the Eighth Century 1

2 Dhuoda 36

3 Hrotsvitha 55

4 Personal Poetry by Women: the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries 84

5 Heloise 107

Excursus: Did Abelard Write Heloise's Third Letter? 140

6 Hildegard of Bingen 144

7 From Hildegard to Marguerite Porete 202

Texts 229

Hildegard of Bingen 231

Women's Testimonies from the Register of Jacques Fournier 265

Marguerite Porete 275.

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: pages 320-332.

ISBN:

0521255805

OCLC:

186754369