Women of the Gilte Legende

The 'Gilte Legende' was widely read as a model for everyday life including the education of women through examples set by early Christian martyrs. This book divides the lives of female saints into: the ryght hooly virgins who vocally defend their bodies against Roman persecution; holy mothers who give up their traditional role to pursue a life of contemplation; the repentant sinners who convert and voice their defiance against a society that demanded silence in women; and the holy transvestites who cast off their gender identity to find absolution and salvation. Their lives reach through the ages to speak to a modern audience forcing a re-examination of women's roles in the medieval period. LARISSA TRACY is Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University and George Mason University. Series editor JANE CHANCE