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Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia
From women's medicine and the writings of Christine de Pizan to the lives of market and tradeswomen and the idealization of virginity, gender and social status dictated all aspects of women's lives during the middle ages.
A cross-disciplinary resource, Women and Gender in Medieval Europe examines the daily reality of medieval women from all walks of life in Europe between 450 CE and 1500 CE, i.e., from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of the Americas. Moving beyond biographies of famous noble women of the middles ages, the scope of this important reference work is vast and provides a comprehensive understanding of medieval women's lives and experiences. Masculinity in the middle ages is also addressed to provide important context for understanding women's roles. Entries that range from 250 words to 4,500 words in length thoroughly explore topics in the following
· Art and Architecture
· Countries, Realms, and Regions
· Daily Life
· Documentary Sources
· Economics
· Education and Learning
· Gender and Sexuality
· Historiography
· Law
· Literature
· Medicine and Science
· Music and Dance
· Persons
· Philosophy
· Politics
· Political Figures
· Religion and Theology
· Religious Figures
· Social Organization and Status
Written by renowned international scholars, Women and Gender in Medieval Europe is the latest in the Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages . Easily accessible in an A-to-Z format, students, researchers, and scholars will find this outstanding reference work to be an invaluable resource on women in Medieval Europe.
A cross-disciplinary resource, Women and Gender in Medieval Europe examines the daily reality of medieval women from all walks of life in Europe between 450 CE and 1500 CE, i.e., from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of the Americas. Moving beyond biographies of famous noble women of the middles ages, the scope of this important reference work is vast and provides a comprehensive understanding of medieval women's lives and experiences. Masculinity in the middle ages is also addressed to provide important context for understanding women's roles. Entries that range from 250 words to 4,500 words in length thoroughly explore topics in the following
· Art and Architecture
· Countries, Realms, and Regions
· Daily Life
· Documentary Sources
· Economics
· Education and Learning
· Gender and Sexuality
· Historiography
· Law
· Literature
· Medicine and Science
· Music and Dance
· Persons
· Philosophy
· Politics
· Political Figures
· Religion and Theology
· Religious Figures
· Social Organization and Status
Written by renowned international scholars, Women and Gender in Medieval Europe is the latest in the Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages . Easily accessible in an A-to-Z format, students, researchers, and scholars will find this outstanding reference work to be an invaluable resource on women in Medieval Europe.
984 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2006
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September 7, 2020
GSHNJ Staff Book Challenge 2020: A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection.
It's disingenuous to mark this as having been read, because I've hardly scratched the surface. But I did read at least one entry for each letter (except for X, which has no entries) in order to complete this challenge category. There is much in this encyclopedia that is eye-opening and surprising. For example, medieval women often had more responsibilities and were in decision-making positions more often than we might think. They contributed a great deal to household and family farm economy, something that is frequently overlooked (read "The Age of Homespun" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich). Also, countries with beliefs firmly rooted in mythology frequently had higher regard for women; this changed once the country was Christianized. Looking forward to reading and learning more!
It's disingenuous to mark this as having been read, because I've hardly scratched the surface. But I did read at least one entry for each letter (except for X, which has no entries) in order to complete this challenge category. There is much in this encyclopedia that is eye-opening and surprising. For example, medieval women often had more responsibilities and were in decision-making positions more often than we might think. They contributed a great deal to household and family farm economy, something that is frequently overlooked (read "The Age of Homespun" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich). Also, countries with beliefs firmly rooted in mythology frequently had higher regard for women; this changed once the country was Christianized. Looking forward to reading and learning more!
Displaying 1 of 1 review