Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife


Book Description

An invaluable reassessment of what we think we know about the daily lives of women in medieval Europe. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife charts the life and times of four medieval women--Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a no-good wife--who all bucked convention and forged their own path. Largely forgotten by modern readers, these women have an astonishing amount to teach us about love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, and earning a living. Through these four writers, Hetta Howes engagingly reveals how everyday women lived, survived, and thrived in medieval times. Who did they marry and why? Were they expected to have children? Did they ever have extramarital affairs? Could they earn money and become self-sufficient? How did they make friends? Could they be leaders? What did they think about death--and what about life and their place in it? While in many ways the Middle Ages was a terrible time to be a woman, there were areas of life that were surprisingly progressive. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife paints a vibrant portrait of these women, their world, and the ways they speak to us today.




Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife


Book Description

An invaluable reassessment of what we think we know about the daily lives of women in medieval Europe. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife charts the lives and times of four medieval women writers—Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a no-good wife—who all bucked convention and forged their own paths. Largely forgotten by modern readers, these women have an astonishing amount to teach us about love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, and earning a living. Reading the words of these four writers, Hetta Howes engagingly reveals how everyday women lived, survived, and thrived in medieval times. Who did they marry and why? Did they ever have extramarital affairs? Could they earn money and become self-sufficient? Could they be leaders? What did they think about death—and what about life and their place in it? Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife paints a vibrant portrait of these women, their world, and the ways they speak to us today.




Father Chaucer


Book Description

This volume offers a fresh interpretation of Geoffrey Chaucer both as a poet and as a man. Taking as its starting point the idea of Chaucer as the 'Father of English Poetry', the book explores how the poet's thoughts on paternity and creativity lie at the heart of The Canterbury Tales.




Your Show


Book Description

LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZEAS HEARD ON R4s FRONT ROW'The football novel is back.' The TimesWonderful.' IRENOSEN OKOJIE 'A novel rich in both poetry and detail.' DAVID PEACE'Memorable and moving . . . Your Show is a remarkable book' Observer____________The Uriah Rennie Show? Damn right it is.From Jamaica to Sheffield to the recently formed Premier League, Uri rises through the ranks as a referee, making it to the highest level of our national game.But along the way he is confronted with tensions and prejudices, old and new, which emerge as his every move is watched, analysed and commented on.Your Show is the thrilling story of one man's pioneering efforts to make it, against the odds, to the very top of his profession and beyond.'A gripping, thought-provoking and important read.' Daily Mail 'Incredibly moving . . . Whether a fan of football or not, readers will love this novel, and its ultimate message -- one of hope.' NICK BRADLEY'Fantastic.' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS




Transformative Waters in Late-medieval Literature


Book Description

A consideration of the metaphor of water in religious literature, especially in relation to women.







The Great Household in Late Medieval England


Book Description

In the later medieval centuries, a whole range of important social, political and artistic activities took place against the backdrop of the great English households. In this vividly illuminating book, C. M. Woolgar explores the details of life in these great houses. Based on an extensive investigation of household accounts and related primary documents, he examines the daily routines, the weekly and annual patterns, and the life-cycle observances of birth, childhood, marriage, death and burial. He also delineates the major changes that transformed the economy and geography of both lay and clerical households between 1200 and 1500.




Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife


Book Description

'A welcome addition to medieval history, giving us a window into the lives of women that many people only know by name, if at all.' PHILIPPA GREGORY, author of The Other Boleyn Girl and Normal Women 'Brilliantly revealing' Observer 'A celebration of female ambition and endeavour... enormous fun' The Sunday Times A spectacular, vivid, groundbreaking work of history which takes us into the minds and lives of medieval women. What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories? Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times. But remarkably, there are at least four extraordinary women who did. Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a "no-good wife". In their own ways these four very different writers pushed back against the misogyny of the period. Each broke new ground in women's writing and left us incredible insights into the world of medieval life and politics. Hetta Howes has spent her working life uncovering these women's stories to give us a valuable and unique historical biography of their lives that challenges what we think we know about medieval women in Europe. Women did earn money, they could live independent lives, and they thought, loved, fought and suffered just as we do today. This mesmerizing book is an unforgettably lively and immersive journey into the everyday lives of medieval women through the stories of these four iconic women writers, some of which are retold here for general readers for the first time. 'Full of surprises and packed with thrilling details, this is an important, eye-opening book.' ALICE LOXTON, author of Eighteen and Uproar! 'This meticulously researched book makes visible so much that popular models of medieval life have found inconvenient or uninteresting to accommodate' NOREEN MASUD, author of A Flat Place - shortlisted for Women's Prize 'Hetta Howes unflinchingly explores the trials medieval women faced and, importantly, how they fought back.' TABITHA STANMORE, author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic 'Vivid, deeply researched, and addictively readable' IRINA DUMITRESCU, Professor of English Medieval Studies at the University of Bonn and co-host of Medieval LOLs 'Spirited, sparky' ANTHONY BALE, author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages




Cecily


Book Description

You are born high, but marry a traitor's son. You bear him twelve children, carry his cause and bury his past. You play the game, against enemies who wish you ashes. Slowly, you rise. You are Cecily. But when the king who governs you proves unfit, what then? Loyalty or treason




Poems from the Press


Book Description




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