Eloquent virgins from Thecla to Joan of Arc / Maud Burnett McInerney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McInerney, Maud Burnett.

Series:

New Middle Ages (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

New Middle Ages

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Virginity in literature.

Literature, Medieval--History and criticism.

Literature, Medieval.

Classical literature--History and criticism.

Classical literature.

Physical Description:

250 pages, 6 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Summary:

The tales of the virgin martyrs typically emphasize the torture and mutilation of beautiful young women. To the modern reader, these medieval texts seem like exercises in sadism, but they also provided Medieval women such as Hildegard of Bingen and Joan of Arc with role models who helped them to shape their own extraordinary destinies. This book explores the ability of the virgin body to generate contradictory meanings, both repressive and liberating, depending on who told the tale and how it was told.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [213]-246) and index.

ISBN:

0312223501

OCLC:

50494887

Online:

Publisher description