This book argues that, in the multilingual culture of medieval England, the French of England needs to be taken into account alongside the English writings of figures such as Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. This is by considering that the francophone literary culture of medieval women in England extends the usual model by some two centuries and greatly enlarges the corpus of texts written by and for women, particularly from c. 1100-c.1300 and beyond. The book explores and demonstrates this contention by focussing on the discourses of virginity and the saints' lives composed by women, toge ... More

This book argues that, in the multilingual culture of medieval England, the French of England needs to be taken into account alongside the English writings of figures such as Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. This is by considering that the francophone literary culture of medieval women in England extends the usual model by some two centuries and greatly enlarges the corpus of texts written by and for women, particularly from c. 1100-c.1300 and beyond. The book explores and demonstrates this contention by focussing on the discourses of virginity and the saints' lives composed by women, together with traditions of women's patronage and composition both as individuals and in female communities. Virginity is explored as a potential model of agency for women and the book examines the capacity of the virgin to give as well as to be given in the texts and documents of the period.