Women of the Twelfth Century, Vol 2: Remembering the Dead

Dames du XIIe siècle #2

by Georges Duby, Jean Birrell (Translator)

In this volume, one of the greatest medieval historians of our time continues his rich and illuminating inquiry into the lives of twelfth-century women. Georges Duby bases his account on a twelfth-century genre that commemorated the virtues of noblewomen who had died and the roles they came to play in the history of their lineage. From these genealogical works a vivid picture emerges of the lives these women led, the values they held, and the way in which they were viewed by the ecclesiastical and chivalric writers who immortalized them.

The first section outlines the ways in which the dead—in both memory and legend—served to bond noble society in the twelfth century. Drawing on the Gesta by Dudo of Saint Quentin, the second section reflects on the roles that wives, concubines, and other women played during times of war and in the great exchanges of power that established the grand lineages of the Middle Ages. The third section reconstructs women as wives, mothers, and widows through the work of Lambert, Priest of Ardres.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Historical

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 1995

Reviews

[Nataly Tiare · Rating 4 out of 5]

En esta segunda parte de la serie, el autor recurre a la literatura genealógica para aproximarse a las mujeres del siglo XII. Aquí se desarrolla particularmente el rol de la mujer respecto al linaje y el patrimonio, su función dentro de la familia y sus distintos estados (dama, amiga, viuda).

No es necesario haber leído la primera parte, a la que sólo se hacen mínimas referencias, aunque obviamente se complementan. El autor repite el ejercicio de explorar las fuentes, dando un nuevo signficado a los silencios y a la descripción ideal de las mujeres hecha por los hombres de la época, para así aproximarse a las féminas reales. En este ejercicio, a veces se desvía del tema principal, a fin de describir el entorno en que se desenvolvían estas mujeres. Ameno y muy interesante para los que disfruten con la historia y la sociología. Es fácil perderse en las genealogías dado que los nombres se repiten constantemente, por lo que se agradecen los esquemas que están al final del libro.

[Federica Volpera · Rating 2 out of 5]

"[...] l'ho sentito da parecchi,
che lo avevano sentito a loro volta,
ma spesso per indifferenza,
per pigrizia, per ignoranza,
molti fatti rimangono da scrivere".
Wace

[Ana Chau · Rating 4 out of 5]

O papel das Mulheres no séc.XII- mulheres, amigas, viúvas, nobres, plebeias, monjas, filhas, mães.

O elo com os antepassados e com os filhos. O passado e o futuro. O presente cabe aos homens. Apesar de mui ausentes....

[Sharada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterly! But I read it in French, and maybe that helps, too.

[Sylexlibris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.8