A Medieval Miscellany

by Margaret Wade Labarge

This collection of occasional writings by renowned medieval scholar Margaret Wade Labarge considers an eclectic mix of themes and issues in the history of the Middle Ages. The varied lives of medieval women, their power and status within society, are depicted through their own writings; questions of medieval culture are linked to those facing humanity in our time; travel, as experienced by the most prestigious ambassador and by the lowliest pilgrim, is explored; and the origins and conditions of health care are examined. These themes have inspired or informed the author's eight major historical works, but are revisited here with the clarity, wit and discipline of a great teacher. A Medieval Miscellany will give readers already acquainted with Labarge's work new pleasure, and provide an enticing path into medieval lives and time for new readers.

292 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Margaret Wade Labarge, CM (July 18, 1916 – August 31, 2009) was a Canadian historian and author specializing in the role of women in the Middle Ages. She was adjunct professor of history at Carleton University.

Labarge attended Harvard and Oxford Universities, and taught at the University of Ottawa before her move to Carleton. In 1982, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 1988, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She authored nine books about history.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another collection of essays, this time all united by being the work of one author. I found it fairly compelling because the essays were all united by being a single scholar's interests in medieval society: women's lives, pilgrimage and travel, medicine, and sketches of particular events and people. Worth a look.