Women's Writing in Middle English

A collection as accessible as it is important, Womens Writing in Middle English will prove an essential resource for all those concerned with the history, religion and culture of the Middle Ages.

Alexandra Barratt has selected a range of texts both for their intrinsic interest and for their contribution to our understanding of womens place in the literary culture of the period. There are extracts from texts first written in Middle English by women, texts translated by women into Middle English, and texts composed by women in French and Latin that were available in Middle English translation. These include accounts of religious experiences; prayers and meditations; scriptural commentary; personal letters; educational writings; romance; and poetry. For this second edition, new texts have been added, including womens wills and other legal documents, a nuns form of confession, and more extracts from visionary writings.

A headnote accompanies each set of extracts, together with generous on-the-page annotations and explanatory glosses. The Introduction places the selections in context, and discusses whether such a category as womens writing could be said to exist in the Middle Ages. This new edition also includes a full, updated bibliography of primary and secondary sources.

Alexandra Barratt is Professor of English at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.