Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women
What was it like to be a woman in the medieval world?
Were their lives defined by the established views of the weakness of their sex, or did they carve out spaces for agency and control in a world ruled by men?
Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women shines an important spotlight on the strength and resilience of medieval women in a world dominated by beliefs designed to undermine them. From noble ladies challenging patriarchal discourse, to the no-good wife embarking on a dangerous solo journey of spiritual discovery, every turn of the page reminds us that medieval women were much more than passive figures in history— they were a force in their own right that could and did stand up for what they believed in.
The author, Howes, presents us with a captivating blend of historical source analysis and vivid storytelling, resulting in a brilliant, thought-provoking and meticulously researched book filled with fascinating details. Throughout, we are drawn to four distinct personalities:
The Poet - Marie de France
The Mystic - Julian of Norwich
The Widow - Christine de Pizan and
The Wife - Margery Kempe
Howes expertly discusses the reality of their lived experience and her engaging and lively approach allows us to appreciate the true breadth of medieval women’s lives like never before.
Historian Hetta Howes
Howes’ decision to compartmentalise the book into a distinct thematic structure helps to focus attention on key aspects of medieval womanhood. From pregnancy to travel, marriage to making friends, this structure makes for a multifaceted investigation of the lives of women in the period.
Through this analysis, Howes brings attention to the contradictions faced by medieval women—on one hand, for example, bound by societal norms surrounding marriage and childbirth, and on the other, finding ways to challenge or transcend these roles through personal faith, mysticism, or subtle acts of resistance. The fifteenth century Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan, one of the first women to earn a living as a professional writer, is a central example. Christine advocated for women's education and argued for their moral and intellectual equality with men.
A surprising and significant strength of Howes' book is her ability to intertwine these women’s’ texts with other contemporary works, thus offering us a more complete and nuanced understanding of their lived experience. Howes does not simply present the writings of these women as isolated occurrences but places them within a broader literary, historical, and cultural context. By frequently discussing the arguments and counter arguments between these women and works produced by their contemporaries, such as de Secretis Mulierum (Women's Secrets) or the Trotula, Howes highlights the social and intellectual forces that shaped medieval women’s voices.
Christine de Pizan, one of the first women to earn a living as a professional writer in the late medieval period.
Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife succeeds in bringing the stories of medieval women to the forefront, although there are moments when its thematic organisation naturally shifts focus away from the individual women the book is titled after. This structure gives the reader more than expected in terms of commentary on broader views, but can on occasion wander into general analyses of gender roles. However, Howes makes it clear from the outset that in some cases, like Marie de France, there simply isn’t the evidence available in order to have an extended discussion of individual women’s personal narratives, and her use of the supplementary source material coupled with her natural flare for narrating the course of past events is a welcome fix for this.
Ultimately, this is an insightful and brilliant book that brings medieval women into the light. Hetta Howes has crafted a work that not only showcases the diverse experiences of women in the Middle Ages but also invites readers to reconsider their place in history. Through her thematic approach, comparative analysis, and careful attention to historical context, Howes creates a rich, multidimensional portrait of women’s lives during this period. For those interested in the intersection of gender, literature, and history, or simply after an entertaining and informative read, this book is a must-have.
Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women is published by Bloomsbury and is available to purchase now:
Buy your own copy HERE