Customer Reviews

The Women Troubadours (Norton Paperback)

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I'm surprised that no one has yet written a review of this book; of all books on Provencale poetry, this is the most common in bookstores at the moment.

Here's my blurb for the uninitiated: The Troubadours were these fantastic baudy poets who composed in Old Provencale during the 12th Century, all around such characters as Eleanor of Aquataine. Everyone should find out more about them. But the big extra are the Trobaritz, women troubadours; for they actually composed extensively as well. We finally get to hear the other side of courtly love.

And for the initiated: Certainly this book is a great contribution to the study of Provencal poetry, literary feminism, etc etc. It is the most thorough yet approachable group of translations out there. But the translations are a bit clumsy. The poems come out pretty boring. The book depends on the value of the poetry of the Trobaritz as work by women, its feminist appeal, rather than its literary appeal; and that's both sad and dull. As one of the first serious treatments of the poetry of the Trobaritz it's invaluable, thank God it was written, it is the best so far that I know of. I'd be enormously proud of myself, if I completed such a work. But it is not as inspired a treatment as the Trobaritz deserve. Hopefully The Women Troubadours will pave the way for better translations that appreciate the poetry as well as the gender theory.

But then I have a general inclination to find the English translations grossly inadequate; so I'm certainly biased. Anyone want to improve upon my customer comment?

I got this expecting some history of the women troubadours, but the history presented was, to put it most charitably, old research at best. I spotted numerous historical flaws, particularly around the so-called "droit du seigneur" which supposedly gave lords carte blanche to deflower virgins before they married. Current research seems to indicate that this custom was not at all pervasive, but Bogin makes it sound like /every/ lord was out boffing brides and she spends quite a while dwelling on the implications of it. That just irked me and was hardly the only inaccuracy I detected. The general tone is of a strident feminist stomping on those nasty ol' medieval men, something else that irritated me. I truly suspect that the book is just based on old research, and a new treatment might say something entirely different.

The author is at her best when she's talking about individual women troubadours and recording their actual songs/poems. I really haven't seen such a treasure trove of primary-source poetry and songs, so I'd definitely consider this as an addition to any budding bard's library; I'm glad I got it, myself. Just don't take the historical notes too seriously without doing a bit of research yourself for verification -- it is really hysterical in places.

This volume aims for a college audience in that provides extensive background to understand the social context of the poetry - something a scholar of the poetry would know - and it provides rather literal translations of the poems - rather than reworkings of the poems that work in English. As such, this is a book you read for what you can learn rather than for literary pleasure.

Nonetheless, it is enjoyable reading for someone (like myself) with no particular interest in the region or the time nor interest in female literature solely for the gender of the author.

The most surprising piece is a poem written by a woman to a woman. One of the more interesting to me, is a poem which straddles the troubador and religious traditions.

I received a used copy of the book in perfect conditions, and in time. I wouldn't doubt to purchase from them again.

I first read Ms. Bogin's small book 25 years ago, and valued it for the translations, mostly made by Frederick Goldin. Her "knowledge" is a tissue of myths, extreme prejudices, and confusion. My favorite: "The doctrine of Immaculate Conception, which made the Virgin Mary herself the child of a virgin birth, was an ingenious way of sparing Jesus Christ the indignation of having to pass through a contaminated mother. As a second generation virgin, Mary presumably was free of the curse of Eve." (11) Mary is conceived by normal sexual intercourse between her parents, but by anticipation she does not have original sin. Having never read Steven Runciman or a dozen other scholars on the Cathars/Gnostics/Manichees, she presents them as "pacifists and vegetarians" (58), which would greatly amuse the Cathars! Far from seeing women as "equal," they particularly deplored women, who by giving birth served evil. But the Goldin translations and the illustrations are very attractive.