# Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women - Hardcover

by **Hetta Howes** (Author)

**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.

### Back Jacket

This is a fascinating book about four medieval women--each a heroine in her own way--and it tells us so much about their world, and about our own. A welcome addition to medieval history, giving us a window into the lives of women that many people know only by name, if at all. What jumps off the page is the liveliness of the women, their passion, their courage, and their own ways of being women.--Philippa Gregory, author of _The Other Boleyn Girl_ and _Normal Women_

"A spirited, sparky, and brisk account. With verve and brio, Howes takes the reader into medieval society via some of its most eloquent women, making them approachable and relevant to the world today."--Anthony Bale, author of _A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World through Medieval Eyes_

"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_

"With expert knowledge and manifest enthusiasm, Howes uses four very different women as jumping-off points from which to discuss medieval women's lifespans and experiences, from marriage and love to work and friendship, power, achievement, and death. Engaging, authoritative, and original."--Carolyne Larrington, Emerita Professor in Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford

"Weaving together detail from a huge range of European narratives and documentary sources, Hetta Howes brilliantly illuminates the lives of four medieval women whose experiences prompted writings of different kinds. Her imaginative engagement with these women's worlds, with their circumstances and predicaments, makes for a spirited commentary on the continuities and fractures in women's history."--Julia Boffey, Professor Emerita of Medieval Studies, Queen Mary University of London

"This meticulously researched book makes visible so much that popular models of medieval life have found inconvenient or uninteresting to accommodate: female friendship, lesbianism, pregnancy support, and above all the endless negotiations, compromises, and sleights-of-hand which women must constantly enact to survive, then as now."​--Noreen Masud, author of _A Flat Place: Moving through Empty Landscapes, Naming Complex Trauma_

"Beautifully written and brilliantly observed. Hetta Howes unlocks the secrets of women's lives, so often silent and inconspicuous in our histories, and shows us the medieval world as we've never seen it before. Full of surprises and packed with thrilling details, this is an important, eye-opening book."--Alice Loxton, author of _Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives_ and _Uproar!_

"What do women want? This brilliant, beautifully written study of four medieval writers draws a composite portrait of women who set their own goals, lived their own unorthodox lives, in defiance of the misogynist norms of the age. A fascinating, inspirational read."--Barbara Taylor, Professor Emerita, Queen Mary University of London

### Author Biography

**Hetta Howes** is Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern Literature at City University of London. Named as a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker, she regularly contributes to broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4, as well as writing for publications such as _Times Literary Supplement_ and _BBC History Extra_.

**Number of Pages:** 256

**Dimensions:** 0.94 x 9.13 x 5.98 IN

**Publication Date:** December 10, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 29.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 29.95 USD | In stock |

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- Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women - Hardcover

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