Maidens or Monsters?: Amazons and Goddesses, Queens and Temptresses in Medieval Legend

by Chantry Westwell

Chantry Westwell has used her profound knowledge of the [British] Library's unrivalled Medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscript collections to explore some of literature's most enduring and multi-layered stories, together with the deep history of the books and chronicles in which they were first preserved. A follow-up to the author's highly successful Dragons, Heroes, Myths & Magic (2021), this new volume builds on ongoing trends for re-telling classical and medieval stories from the perspective of female characters as well as exploring how female reputations are exalted or ruined to suit the particular ideals of different eras and cultures.

Maidens or Monsters includes dedicated sections on warrior women, women of virtue, power, tragedy, as well as enigmatic and allegorical women. These powerful tales are presented alongside some of the most exquisite examples of art to survive from the eighth to the sixteenth centuries as medieval artists responded to the inspiring storylines with their own works of supreme beauty.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Medieval

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2024

Reviews

[verbava · Rating 4 out of 5]

неймовірно барвисте видання британської бібліотеки про героїнь, яких можна зустріти на рукописних мініатюрах, бо ж головні тут, звісно, мініатюри. основна функція книжки — познайомити і захопити, тож не варто шукати в ній якихось відкриттів, якщо ви вже знаєте, хто такі клеопатра, беатріче й мелюзина. утім, авторка зібрала не тільки очевидних героїнь (у книжці є, наприклад, кілька східних історій, на які я раніше не натрапляла), та й про тих відоміших спробувала розповісти ще й небанальні сюжети, то вийшло цікаво.

[Emma McGilvray · Rating 4 out of 5]

i felt like i was reading an academic paper rather than a book. there were just a lot of “and this will prove my point because” vibes but other than that it was really interesting to compare the women and how they are represented.