Gender, Poetry, and the Form of Thought in Later Medieval Literature: Essays in Honor of Elizabeth A. Robertson

Elizabeth Robertson's work explores gender in medieval English writing through poetic, philosophical, material-textual, and historical axes. This collection examines how imagined bodies frame literary explorations of philosophical categories and how devotional practices and texts intersect with these representations. The essays span a broad range of medieval literary works and methodological approaches.

Format: Hardback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2022
Publisher: Lehigh University Press

Elizabeth Robertson, a renowned scholar in the field of medieval philosophy, literature, and gender studies, has dedicated her career to exploring the intricate connections between these disciplines. This comprehensive collection of essays, curated in her honor, delves into the multifaceted examination of gender in medieval English writing across various axes: poetic, philosophical, material-textual, and historical. Gender, Poetry, and the Form of Thought in Later Medieval Literature specifically focuses on the ways in which the medieval body emerges as a subject of inquiry and agency, manifesting in diverse forms such as the idealized feminine body found in secular and religious lyric, the sexually liberated and permeable body in fabliaux, and the intercessory body in religious devotional writing. The collection poses compelling questions about how imagined bodies shape literary explorations of philosophical concepts like nature, will, and emotion. By examining the accounts of specific historical medieval women—as authors, patrons, and interlocutors—the essays shed light on the representations of gender in these texts. Furthermore, they explore the intersections between devotional practices and texts with the representations of gender, shedding light on the complex interplay between religious beliefs and cultural expressions of gender. Spanning a wide range of medieval literary works, from the lais of Marie de France to Pearl to Piers Plowman and the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, the essays employ diverse methodological approaches, ranging from philosophy to affect and manuscript studies. This rich tapestry of scholarship provides a profound exploration of the multifaceted dimensions of gender in medieval English literature and offers valuable insights into the complex interplay between philosophy, literature, and gender in the Middle Ages.

Weight: 576g
Dimension: 228 x 159 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781611463323