Woman Defamed and Woman Defended: An Anthology of Medieval Texts

by Alcuin Blamires (Editor), Karen Pratt (Editor), C.W. Marx (Editor)

"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 Héloise 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.

Genres: History, Feminism, Medieval, Nonfiction, Womens, Academic, Reference

342 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 1992

Reviews

[Sarah Myers]

Nice anthology of primary sources showcasing attitudes towards women in the middle ages. It would have been hilarious if unfortunately people hadn't actually believed some of this stuff. Or maybe only literate people read and believed that all women were unfaithful, untrustworthy blabbermouths and cheaters. (It'd be interesting to know if these ideas filtered down to the unlettered, as well.) Among the more unique ideas--as opposed to the oft-repeated accusation that no woman was concerned about faithfulness or virtue, but was always looking for another man to feed her insatiable sexual appetite-- was the idea that woman would become men after the resurrection because their imperfect natures could not be renewed as women. (Here Augustine came out swinging as women's defender, at least to the point of saying the feminine nature was also good and shared in the image of God, and so could share in the resurrection.) Mary, of course, figures largely in all defenses of women from the period, but other New Testament women whom Christ honored are also regularly appealed to.

I appreciated that the book also included texts written in defense of women, by authors other than Christine de Pizan (who, interesting though she is, is readily available in translation elsewhere).

[Helena]

gud, ingenting er som om lag 270 sider med kvinnehat (fy fader det er jo omtrent likt no)

[Hannah]

We worked with this book at university and I really enjoyed learning more about medieval anti feminism and it’s supported and motifs.

[judedaurte_supporter]

The guys who wrote these misogynistic essays want to kiss each other so bad

[Zahra]

3.5 stars. I hated everything I read in this book, but it was also important to read to understand the ancient origins of antifeminism. This book is making me a misandrist.

[Meredith]

Fascinating (and infuriating) anthology of medieval texts debating women's worth, character, etc.

[mama housemouse]

Hmmm, yep. Misogyny is as old as I'd thought.

Great book for reference or history. Well organized, and painful to read for a woman. I could applaud these men... with a well-placed frying pan.

[Lulu]

Starts from roman & church fathers


••1)The Roots of Antifeminist Tradition:
(i) ANCIENT SATIRE
OVID
From The Art of Love 🧿 and Amores [16 BCE]

JUVENAL
From Satire VI🧿

(ii) SCRIPTURE🧿

(iii) PHYSIOLOGY AND ETYMOLOGY
ARISTOTLE
From Generation of Animals [c. 340-322 bce?]

GALEN
From On the Usefulness of the Parts of the Body

ISIDORE OF SEVILLE
From Etymologies

(iv) "MATTER' AND 'FORM' IN LATER WRITINGS
ST ANSELM
From Monologium

ST THOMAS AQUINAS
From the Summa theologide

GUIDO DELLE COLONNE
From The History of the Destruction of Troy


••2) The Church Fathers
TERTULLLAN
From The Appearance of Women

ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
From Homily IX on St Paul's Epistle to Timothy

ST AMBROSE
From On Widows
From Paradise
From the Commentary on Luke

ST JEROME
From Against Jovinian
From Letter 22, to Eustochtum
From Letter 77, to Oceanus

ST AUGUSTINE
From Confessions
From The Literal Meaning of Genesis
From City of Goi


••3) The Legacy of the Church Fathers
GRATIAN
From the Decretum

HELOISE AND ABELARD
From The Story of His Misfortunes
From Letter 3: Heloise to Abelard
From The Story of His Misfortunes

ST THOMAS AQUINAS
From the Summa theologiae

GOTTFRIED VON STRASSBURG
From Tristan

Anon.: Rule for Anchoresses
From Part 11
From Part IV



••4) The Satirical Tradition in Medieval Latin
Anon.: The Life of Secundus

MARBOD OF RENNES
The Femme Fatale

WALTER MAP
The Letter of Valerius to Ruffinus, against Marriage

ANDREAS CAPELLANUS
From On Love

Anon.: Against Marrying


••5) Antifeminist Tales
Anon.: The Book of the Wiles of Women

GAUTIER LE LEU
The Widow

JACQUES DE VITRY
From Sermon 66 in Sermons for All


••6) Vernacular Adaptations in the Later Middle Ages :
JEAN DE MEUN
From The Romance of the Rose

GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO
From The Corbaccio

JEHAN LE FEVRE
From The Lamentations of Matheolus

••7) The Wife of Bath
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
The Wife of Bath's Prologue



••8) Responses to Antifeminism
ANON. The Thrush and the Nightingale

MARBOU OF RENNES
The Good Woman

ABELARD
From Letter 6, On the Origin of Nuns

ALBERTANO OF BRESCIA
From The Book of Consolation and Advice

ANON. The Response to Richard de Fournival's Bestiary of Love

ANON. The Southern Passion

JOHN GOWER
From A Lover's Confession

THE TRIAL OF WALTER BRUT
‘Whether women are permitted to instruct men’
‘Whether women are suitable to consecrate the sacrament’
From The Register of Bishop Trefnant

Anon. From Dives and Pauper

Anon. Merehus the Emperor



••9) A Woman Defends Women
CHRISTINE DE PIZAN
From The Letter of the God of Love
From The Quarrel of the Rose
From The City of Ladies

[Amy]

In fairness, I only read the introduction of this book and various chapters for a class I'm taking, but I found that it provided a great overview of misogamy and the various pieces it included were highly interesting.

[Sylwia]

I read the book in search of materials for my MA Thesis and I have to say it was pretty helpful. There is not a lot of texts from the later Middle Ages, so if you're looking for that,you'll need to check some other sources. Other than that, the book was a very good read.

[Rachael]

A bit dry, since it's almost entirely primary texts, but a fascinating look at the historical shifts in perspective on women's roles, attributes, failings, etc.

[Elizabeth]

trade paper good condition

[Bri]

Full disclosure: my enjoyment of this book was heavily influenced by the awesome annotations left by the previous owner.