Medieval Women's Writing

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course will investigate constructions of gender and authority in women's writing from late medieval Europe (c. 1200-1430). We'll read works written for the court, from religious houses, and on the road to explore how these different social locations shaped authors' access to resources and informed their creative decisions. Reading selected critical essays will help us analyze these works through a feminist lens to understand how medieval women authors engaged with patriarchal literary traditions and social structures. All works will be read in translation; no prior knowledge of medieval literature is expected.