Late Medieval Female Subject Consciousness

Italian and English Mystics, Boccaccio, Chaucer, and Beyond
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-07231-3
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 170 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 351 g

Reihe: The New Middle Ages

brings together disparate feminist theoretical approaches to explore the formation of medieval female subject consciousness in writings by female mystics including Angela of Foligno, Catherine of Siena, and Margery Kempe, as well as secular writings of Christine de Pizan, and powerful female characters of Giovanni Boccaccio and Geoffrey Chaucer. The rise of what Amsel calls “medieval female subject consciousness” shows that increased self-awareness and sense of self relates to how the authorship of texts reconstructs traditional female roles, particularly in Italian and English. These writing women challenged prevailing norms as they forged literal and figurative spaces to self-actualize through writing, even if the act of writing was performed by male amanuenses. This book explores how Boccaccio and Chaucer serve as witnesses by creating female characters who reflect changes in women’s writing in late medieval society in Italy and England.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Amsel, Stephanie

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Mittelalterliche & Scholastische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturtheorie: Poetik und Literaturästhetik
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Europäische Literatur
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction.- 2. Defining Medieval Female Subject Consciousness.- 3. Women’s Writing as a Form of Work.- 4. Writing the Body in Medieval Texts.- 5. Witnessing Medieval Female Subject Consciousness in Works of Giovanni Boccaccio and Geoffrey Chaucer.- 6. Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Stephanie Amsel is Director of the Writing and Reasoning Program in the English Department  Southern Methodist University, USA, where she teaches writing and medieval literature. Amsel is the Chaucer bibliographer for the New Chaucer Society and produces a yearly Chaucer bibliography report in . Her other works include , with Mark Allen (Manchester University Press) and (Finishing Line Press). She is a poet and has received awards for her poetry and short fiction; her poems have appeared in , , , and .