ENGL 320-01, Medieval Literature - Nuns Mothers and Others: Medieval Women Writers, Fall 2004

Abstract

This course is designed to introduce you to women writers of the Middle Ages who wrote in English, French, and Latin. It examines the writings of medieval women -- abbesses, merchants, wives, mothers, and mystics -- to explore the challenges that female writers presented to orthodox Christianity, to gender stereotypes, and to medieval political and social structures. The course has three primary objectives: to discover the rich variety of women’s literary voices in the Middle Ages, to analyze the works of medieval women in their historical context, and to explore the relationship between medieval and contemporary theoretical issues concerning gender and literature.