Constructions of Widowhood and Virginity in the Middle Ages
- ISBN-10
- 033374912X
- ISBN-13
- 9780333749128
- Category
- Chastity in literature
- Pages
- 270
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1999
- Authors
- Angela Jane Weisl, Cindy L. Carlson
Description
To be a virgin or a widow never promised a stable, uniform status to a woman during the Middle Ages. Rather, these positions were areas open to debate, constructions that did and still do create and question notions of gender roles: areas of power, and areas of disability. For example, chastity is an apparent given for both positions, but the chastity involved may have a number of possible cultural meanings or uses.
