The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe provides a comprehensive overview of the gender rules encountered in Europe in the period between approximately 500 and 1500 C.E. The essays collected in this volume speak to interpretative challenges common to all fields of women's and gender history - that is; how best to uncover the experiences of ordinary people from archives formed mainly by and about elite males; and how to combine social histories of lived experiences with cultural histories of gendered discourses and identities. The collection focuses on Western Europe in the Middle Ages but offers some consideration of medieval Islam and Byzantium. The Handbook is structured into seven sections: Christian; Jewish; and Muslim thought; law in theory and practice; domestic life and material culture; labour; land; and economy; bodies and sexualities; gender and holiness; and the interplay of continuity and change throughout the medieval period. It contains material from some of the foremost scholars in this field; and it not only serves as the major reference text in medieval and gender studies; but also provides an agenda for future new research.
#1708436 in Books Oxford University Press 2016-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.00 x .70 x 7.70l; .0 #File Name: 0198709870320 pagesOxford University Press
Review
63 of 65 people found the following review helpful. for they allow us to gain a better understanding of how far our society has comeBy JayahThis autobiography was assigned to me when I was a junior in high school. Three years later; as a sophomore in college; I was asked to read the book again for my class on Black Thought and Literature. I wish that I had taken the time to slow down and analyze Frederick Douglass' narrative from a literal; analytical; and figurative perspective. Had I done that the first time around—as opposed to treating the book as another required reading that I needed to speed-read through—I believe that my understanding would have been more in-depth and meaningful. The emotion and conviction with which the author writes is not only poetic and moving; but captivating as well. The imagery; combined with Douglass' views on religion's role in the enslavement of black bodies; masterfully paints a story that (in combination with other narratives) has; unfortunately; been lost throughout time. In fact; many Black writers during this period refused to publish their experiences for fear that they will be caught and returned to slavery. In other cases; some writers used pen names to add some anonymity to their experiences. Nevertheless; such works should be cherished and valued; for they allow us to gain a better understanding of how far our society has come; and how much more needs to be done to ensure a future where everyone is equal (in the truest sense of the word).0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What a Heart-breaker!By Donna KelleyI marvel that someone could have endured such deprivations and abuses of slavery and yet lived to tell it. I did not care for the long; run-on sentences which seem to be typical of that period in history. The poem at the end perfectly encapsulated the woes of slavery. I found the book so poignant that I could not have read it all in one sitting. My empathy could not withstand the mistreatment of the main character for long reading sessions. .0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Please read or rereadBy CustomerAlthough there is difficulty in typing that a work like "Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass; An American Slave" was enjoyable; I feel more humane after reading this text. And I enjoy the idea of this progression. With the types of difficulties we have today being American; there is also a feeling of reward accompanying the finishing of a text where ingenuity and the pursuit of learning are not portrayed as traits of the vain; but as the talents of those with the will to exist. Fredrick Douglass' narrative is uniquely American and inherently African American and anyone who feels pride belonging to one or both of these groups should read or reread this book.
