New research into medieval women from the Anglo-Saxon to the late medieval period demonstrates their energy, defiance and wit. The phenomenon of medieval women's middle age is a stage in the lifecycle that has been frequently overlooked in preference for the examination of female youth and old age. The essays collected here, ranging from the Anglo-Saxon to the late medieval period, and drawing variously from literary studies, history, law, art and theology, address this lacuna. Taking a variety of critical approaches, the contributors consider medieval definitions, paradigms andexperiences of female middle age, analysing how the middle-aged woman perceived herself subjectively, as well as how she was perceived by others. They seek to challenge the received wisdom that in the middle ages, at forty, womenwere deemed "old" and, from that point onwards, their thoughts should be focused on preparing for death. On the contrary, this collection demonstrates their energy, defiance and wit. Sue Niebrzydowski is Lecturer in English, Bangor University, Wales. Contributors: Jane Geddes, Clare A. Lees, Carol M. Meale, Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker, Sue Niebrzydowski, Raluca L. Radulescu, Sara Elin Roberts, Corinne Saunders, Diane Watt.

About the Author
Sue Niebrzydowski is Professor in Medieval Literature at Bangor University. She has published widely in the areas of medieval women's writing and gender and devotion. Corinne Saunders is Professor of Medieval Literature at the Department of English Studies, University of Durham. Professor Diane Watt is Head of the School of English and Languages, University of Surrey. Secretaries of God won the 1998 Foster Watson Memorial Gift. Dr Raluca Radulescu is Senior Lecturer in Medieval Literature, Bangor University Sara Elin Roberts is a historian specialising in the law, literature and culture of Wales and the March from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries. She has been working on medieval Welsh lawbooks for more than two decades. Sue Niebrzydowski is Professor in Medieval Literature at Bangor University. She has published widely in the areas of medieval women's writing and gender and devotion.

Reviews
[T]his examination of (mainly) lay and non-royal women [...] is timely, and it is illuminating as it draws our attention to the difficulties inherent in any such study. [...] Niebrzydowski and her colleagues deserve our gratitude. * OENACH *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843842828
Author Professor Sue Niebrzydowski
Format Hardback
Page Count 168
Imprint D.S. Brewer
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 345g