Poet, mystic, widow, wife : the extraordinary lives of Medieval women / Hetta Howes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Howes, Hetta, 1990- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Marie, de France, active 12th century.

Marie.

Julian, of Norwich, 1343-.

Julian.

Christine, de Pisan, approximately 1364-approximately 1431.

Christine.

Kempe, Margery, approximately 1373-.

Kempe, Margery.

Literature, Medieval--Women authors.

Literature, Medieval.

Women and literature--Europe--History--To 1500.

Women and literature.

Women--Europe--History--Middle Ages, 500-1500.

Women.

Women--Europe--Social conditions--To 1500.

Wives--Europe--History--To 1500.

Wives.

Widows--Europe--History--To 1500.

Widows.

Mysticism--Europe--History--Middle Ages, 600-1500.

Mysticism.

Physical Description:

232 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2025]

Summary:

"Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife charts the life and times of four medieval women-Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a no-good wife-who all bucked convention and forged their own path. Largely forgotten by modern readers, these women have an astonishing amount to teach us about love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, and earning a living. Through these four writers, Hetta Howes engagingly reveals how everyday women lived, survived, and thrived in medieval times. Who did they marry and why? Were they expected to have children? Did they ever have extramarital affairs? Could they earn money and become self-sufficient? How did they make friends? Could they be leaders? What did they think about death-and what about life and their place in it? While in many ways the Middle Ages was a terrible time to be a woman, there were areas of life that were surprisingly progressive. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife paints a vibrant portrait of these women, their world, and the ways they speak to us today"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Knocked up

Tied down

Bit on the side

Wanderlust

Hustling

Making friends . . .

. . . And influencing people

Having it all?

Death

Conclusion : Afterlife

Notes:

First published in the UK in 2024 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780520396586

0520396588

OCLC:

1432229311