Medieval Virginities

By: Anke Bernau (Editor), Sarah Salih (Editor), Ruth Evans (Editor)

Write A Review

Paperback | 14 July 2003 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
296 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
21.6 x 13.8 x 2.1

Paperback

$57.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $14.44 with

Ships in 15 to 25 business days

From Joan of Arc to Britney Spears, the figure of the virgin has been the subject of considerable scholarly and popular interest. Yet virginity itself is a paradoxical condition, both perfect and monstrous, present and absent, often visible only insofar as it is under threat. Medieval Virginities traces some of the specific manifestations of virginity in late medieval culture. It shows how virginity is represented in medical, legal, hagiographical and historical texts, as well as how the seductive but dangerous figure of the virgin affects the aims and objectives of these texts. Because virginity is so often thought of as self-identical and ahistorical, Medieval Virginities aims to theorize and historicize its various manifestations and to demonstrate how representations and discussions of virginity continuously shift and change. The variety of subjects and disciplines represented here testify both to the elusiveness of virginity and to its lasting appeal and importance. Medieval Virginities shows how virginity's inherent ambiguity highlights the problems, contradictions and discontinuities lurking within medieval ideologies. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in questions of gender identity, conceptions of the body, subjectivity, truth and representation in medieval culture.

Industry Reviews

'One notable characteristic of this volume is its consistent engagement with key methodological and interpretative concerns. All of the essays show clear signs of participation in a coherent critical conversation; it is refreshing, and a credit to the editors, to see this degree of conceptual as well as topical coherence in a collection of essays.' Modern Language Review

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Earliest Times to Present Day Early History from 500 to 1500 Psychology Sexual Behaviour Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History Society & Culture Social Groups Gender Studies Family & Health

Relationships & Families: Advice & Issues Sex & Sexuality: Advice & Issues Sociology & Anthropology General & World History

List of Illustrations
Series Editors' Preface
Acknowledgements
Notes on Contributors
Abbreviations
Introduction: Virginities and Virginity Studies	p. 1
When is a Bosom Not a Bosom? Problems with 'Erotic Mysticism'	p. 14
The Sheela-na-Gig: An Incongruous Sign of Sexual Purity?	p. 33
Virginity and Chastity Tests in Medieval Welsh Prose	p. 56
Four Virgins' Tales: Sex and Power in Medieval Law	p. 80
The Labour of Continence: Masculinity and Clerical Virginity	p. 102
Edward the Celibate, Edward the Saint: Virginity in the Construction of Edward the Confessor	p. 119
Alchemy and the Exploration of Late Medieval Sexuality	p. 140
The Jew, the Host and the Virgin Martyr: Fantasies of the Sentient Body	p. 167
Can the Virgin Martyr Speak?	p. 187
'Saint, Witch, Man, Maid or Whore?': Joan of Arc and Writing History	p. 214
Virginity Now and Then: A Response to Medieval Virginities	p. 234
Bibliography	p. 254
Index	p. 289
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Medieval Virginities

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Social & Cultural History

The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective

Born

The Untold History of Childbirth

100 Diaries That Chronicled World Events

Just Saying

Exploring twenty-five remarkable quotations to enlighten, challenge and inspire

The Breath of the Gods

The History and Future of the Wind

Dark Emu

Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture

The Voynich Manuscript

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas

Born in 1955? What Else Happened? 2024 Edition

What else happened?

Night

Penguin Modern Classics

The Book Of Roads And Kingdoms

Winner Indie Book Awards 2023 Non Fiction Book of the Year

How to Move a Zoo

The incredible true story

Knowing What We Know

How we acquire, retain and communicate knowledge from ancient times to the era of big data

Australian Ghost Stories

New haunting true crime stories of the supernatural and paranormal from the bestselling author of AUSTRALIA'S MOST INFAMO

Tell Me Why

Story of My Life and My Music

Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960-1990

The Dawn of Everything

A New History of Humanity

The Secret Lives of Colour

The Radium Girls

They paid with their lives. Their final fight was for justice.

Blitzed

Drugs in Nazi Germany

The Origins of Totalitarianism

Penguin Modern Classics

The Master and His Emissary

The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

'Truly mind-expanding... Ultra-topical' Guardian

The Palace Letters

The Queen, the governor-general, and the plot to dismiss Gough Whitlam

This product is categorised by