Women of the Twelfth Century, Volume 2, Remembering the Dead
1. Edition December 1997
160 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
In this volume, one of the greatest medieval historians of our time
continues his rich and illuminating enquiry into the lives of
twelfth-century women. Georges Duby bases his account here on a
twelfth-century genre which commemorated the virtues of noblewomen
who had died, and the roles they had played in the history of their
lineage.
From these genealogical works a vivid picture emerges of the lives
these women led, the values they held, and the way in which they
were viewed by the priest and knights who wrote about them.
The first section outlines the way in which the dead, and the
memory and tales of the dead, served to bond noble society in the
twelfth century. The second draws on the Gesta, written by
Dudo of Saint Quentin, and reflects on what it tells us about the
roles ascribed to wives and concubines and women, in war and in
power. The third and final section reconstructs women as wives,
mothers and widows through the work of Lambert, Priest of
Ardres.
This book is part of a three-volume work on women in the Middle
Ages. It will be of great interest to students and researchers in
medieval history, social history and women's history.
Part I: Serving the Dead:.
1. The dead with the house.
2. Women and the dead.
3. Writing about the dead.
4. Remembering women.
Part II: Wives and concubines: .
1. The genealogy of a eulogy.
2. The trouble with women.
3. Wives.
4. Mistresses.
5. Arlette.
>Part 3: The Power of Women.
1. The context.
2. The witness.
3. Mother goddesses.
4. The couple.
5. Widows.
Genealogies.
surrounded by so much respect and esteem." Douglas Johnson, The
Guardian
"Elegantly written and elegantly translated, Duby's book distils
what can be found about the lives of six elite women from the
meagre records of the twelfth century. It leads him to revise his
earlier opinions and see the recognition of the spirituality of
women in that century as leading Europe to rate the values of love
more highly. And all this is done with his customary scholarship
and sensitivity." Professor Jack Goody, St John's College,
Cambridge
"Georges Duby was a grand master among medieval social
historians, and this is true vintage: subtle, perceptive,
penetrating, sympatheic, and - helped by Jean Birrell's translation
- highly readable. Women's history is of special interest today,
and the book will provide for many a refreshing entry to a
fascinating world." Professor Christopher Brooke, Gonville and
Caius College, Cambridge
"An illuminating insight into the experience of womanhood in
twelfth-century Europe." History Today
"Fascinating insight ... thought-provoking and inspirational."
Journal of Gender Studies
"This study is Duby's last work, written just before he died in
1997, and it is his most personal and intimate testimony as a
historian; he is in the foreground of his own narrative throughout.
On that account it is a direct and touching book. As translated
(with outstanding skill) by Jean Birrell, it is also very
readable." Times Literary Supplement
"There is much in Women of the Twelfth Century to enjoy
... well-informed and thought-provoking ... this book has a lot to
offer." History Today