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"Brilliantly revealing history of medieval women . . . Howes’s debut has just the right meld of insightful research, enjoyable storytelling and contemporary contexts."—The Guardian
"A history of medieval women’s lives as told through the prism of four exceptional individuals. . . . throughout, the tensions of medieval womanhood strain and stretch—eroticism and purity, sexuality and motherhood, silence and speech."—The New York Times
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.
"A history of medieval women’s lives as told through the prism of four exceptional individuals. . . . throughout, the tensions of medieval womanhood strain and stretch—eroticism and purity, sexuality and motherhood, silence and speech."—The New York Times
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.
Price: $24.95
Pages: 244
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Publication Date:
10 February 2026
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780520430822
Format: Paperback
"Brilliantly revealing history of medieval women . . . Howes’s debut has just the right meld of insightful research, enjoyable storytelling and contemporary contexts."
— The Guardian
"With its focus on women who managed to thrive in the face of such challenges, Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is a celebration of female ambition and endeavour in a patriarchal society, and especially of four remarkable individuals who, thanks to their sex, have not always been taken seriously."
— The Times
"Hetta Howes presents a history of medieval women’s lives as told through the prism of four exceptional individuals. . . . And throughout, the tensions of medieval womanhood strain and stretch — eroticism and purity, sexuality and motherhood, silence and speech."
— The New York Times
"Women, in whatever guise, rarely won recognition, but the four exceptional women in Hetta Howes’s book excelled in public roles that called into question what was supposed to be the nature of women. . . . These four women: What can I say? The more things change, the more they remain the same"
— The New York Sun
“Lively and enjoyable. . . . The result is illuminating. . . . Evokes the spirit of the period so well."
— History Today
"Howes's book is highly readable and informative."
— The Spectator
— The Church Times
"Brilliantly revealing."
— The Observer
— The Guardian
"With its focus on women who managed to thrive in the face of such challenges, Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is a celebration of female ambition and endeavour in a patriarchal society, and especially of four remarkable individuals who, thanks to their sex, have not always been taken seriously."
— The Times
"Hetta Howes presents a history of medieval women’s lives as told through the prism of four exceptional individuals. . . . And throughout, the tensions of medieval womanhood strain and stretch — eroticism and purity, sexuality and motherhood, silence and speech."
— The New York Times
"Women, in whatever guise, rarely won recognition, but the four exceptional women in Hetta Howes’s book excelled in public roles that called into question what was supposed to be the nature of women. . . . These four women: What can I say? The more things change, the more they remain the same"
— The New York Sun
“Lively and enjoyable. . . . The result is illuminating. . . . Evokes the spirit of the period so well."
— History Today
"Howes's book is highly readable and informative."
— The Spectator
"[An] immensely readable and academically rigorous book, Hetta Howes has succeeded in assimilating a vast array of material about the circumstances and contributions of women in medieval times, when the material is itself scattered, hidden, piecemeal, and prejudiced. . . . This is a valuable contribution to our understanding."
— The Church Times
"Brilliantly revealing."
— The Observer
Hetta Howes is Senior 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 and writes for publications such as the Times Literary Supplement and BBC History Extra.
Contents
Introduction
1 • Knocked Up
2 • Tied Down
3 • Bit on the Side
4 • Wanderlust
5 • Hustling
6 • Making Friends . . .
7 • . . . And Influencing People
8 • Having It All?
9 • Death
Conclusion: Afterlife
Acknowledgements
Notes
Selected Further Reading
Plate Credits
Index
Introduction
1 • Knocked Up
2 • Tied Down
3 • Bit on the Side
4 • Wanderlust
5 • Hustling
6 • Making Friends . . .
7 • . . . And Influencing People
8 • Having It All?
9 • Death
Conclusion: Afterlife
Acknowledgements
Notes
Selected Further Reading
Plate Credits
Index