Woman Defamed and Woman Defended An Anthology of Medieval Texts [Paperback]

It is impossible / That any clerk wol speke good of wyves. Behind the words of Chaucer's Wife of Bath lies a vast corpus of medieval misogynistic writings. These texts, which range from those of the Church Fathers to a rich array of vernacular literature, have had a profound effect on the status of women in the West. Despite the recent surge of investigations into women's situation, however, no one book has sought to collect the key voices of medieval antifeminism, let alone to present the voices sometimes raised, even at that epoch, in defence of women. This new volume meets the urgent need for a single and substantial sourcebook of these materials in modern translation, including an introduction, notes, and commentary. The accessibility of the better-known texts here (from Jerome to Walter Map; from H?loise and Abelard to Christine de Pizan and Chaucer) will be welcomed by those engaged in medieval and women's studies; the lesser-known writings concerning, for instance, the sexual double standard , and women and the priesthood, will provide unexpected discoveries for specialists and beginners alike. The book also features a surprising range of early texts championing women--including material never previously available in translation.

An essential compendium of primary sources, until now inaccessible to undergraduates. Should be a permanent addition to any syllabus in feminist studies of the Medieval/Renaissance period. --Eunice D. Howe,University of Southern California

[A] fascinating anthology....All the selections inWoman Defamedare presented in clear, modern English, including many new translations by Blamires. Each entry is helpfully accompanied by a brief editorial note about the author and the work....A tremendous repository of reference material....A steady, cumulative reading of the anti-feminist tracts inWoman Defamedis an opportunity to peer into the distant past and find it disturbingly familiar....The lÃv