Women and Power in the Middle Ages [Paperback]

Mary Erler (Author), Maryanne Kowaleski (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1988

Power in medieval society has traditionally been ascribed to figures of public authority--violent knights and conflicting sovereigns who altered the surface of civic life through the exercise of law and force. The wives and consorts of these powerful men have generally been viewed as decorative attendants, while common women were presumed to have had no power or consequence.

Reassessing the conventional definition of power that has shaped such portrayals, Women and Power in the Middle Ages reveals the varied manifestations of female power in the medieval household and community--from the cultural power wielded by the wives of Venetian patriarchs to the economic power of English peasant women and the religious power of female saints. Among the specific topics addresses are Griselda's manipulation of silence as power in Chaucer's "The Clerk's Tale"; the extensive networks of influence devised by Lady Honor Lisle; and the role of medieval women book owners as arbiters of lay piety and ambassadors of culture. In every case, the essays seek to transcend simple polarities of public and private, male and female, in order to provide a more realistic analysis of the workings of power in feudal society.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"According to evidence presented in the articles, medieval women were empowered by a wide variety of means—family connections, networks of patronage and friendship, widowhood, noble birth, gift-giving—but were never granted authority, that is, power that was publicly legitimated. The authors use an excellent range of sources, such as letters, wills, seals, court records, hagiography, literature by both women and men, and guild records. Many of the essays complement each other nicely by allowing the reader to compare the experiences of rural and urban women, or of peasants and nobles. Most also explore questions that use gender as a category of analysis, comparing female and male networks of influence, methods of telling stories, or concepts of the family. The authors are all well-known authorities in their fields, presenting their most current research.”--Choice

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Mary Erler is a professor of English at Fordham University. Her books include Records of Early English Drama: Ecclesiastical London and Women, Reading, and Piety in Late Medieval England. Maryanne Kowaleski, who also teaches at Fordham, is the Joseph Fitzpatrick S.J. Distinguished Professor and Director of Medieval Studies. Her books include Local Markets and Regional Trade in Medieval Exeter and Medieval Towns: A Reader.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Georgia Pr (January 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820309583
• ISBN-13: 978-0820309583
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,364,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hey, they were fighting for their rights throughout the Middle Ages, January 19, 2008

By 

Brian Griffith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women and Power in the Middle Ages (Paperback)

A good in-depth look at how women got on in the Middle Ages. Erler and Kowaleski's contributors paint fine portraits of strong, active women, who faced growing demands for male control of society. The researchers show an eventful age, full of dramatic struggles -- far from the common image of a static traditional "dark age". Only very slowly and with enormous difficulty were women were stripped of rights and powers. And the age of male control was quite temporary, as Western women launched endless initiatives to reassert their authority step by step.

The book closes with hopeful signs, which brought the Middle Ages to a close. For example, it shows the primary role of women in a movement for education of both sexes. When these women taught, they did it in their vernacular languages. And partly due to their growing influence, Latin declined as the language of learning.

--author of A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization