Margery Kempe was a merchant’s wife in early 15th-century Norfolk who was halfway through a comfortable life when she decided to give up her smart clothes and good table and marry Christ instead. Die Autorin, Kulturhistorikerin, Literatur- sowie Sprachwissenschaftlerin, Dozentin und Forscherin Dr. The amount of male figures who simply wouldn't, or even didn't, accomplish what they've been credited without a woman's intervention for was ridiculous. An ambitious project, Ramirez orients each chapter around a particular theme and figure placing the past and present beside one another using modern scientific discoveries and cultural artefacts to provide contextual information for the subject she is discussing.

BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records, with the word 'Femina' annotated beside them. In Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It , Janina Ramirez reappraises the status of women in the Middle Ages by presenting the lives of several notable women who have been omitted from or underrepresented in histories of the period. The narrative occasionally loses its thread, describing extensive historical context before circling back to the main subject.The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings: a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. Others chose a life of religious contemplation and wielded the influence and power that comes from being God's representative on earth. Read a bit over 100 pages, though non-consecutive—once I realized I wasn’t liking it I skipped ahead to the chapters that interested me most, which ultimately did not change my mind.

The only thing I wish the book had done was take a broader view of women during the medieval period, because as fascinating as it was to read about the women featured, it would have been great to have a wider context and to see more variety in the women that were featured. To access you ebook(s) after purchasing, you can download the free Glose app or read instantly on your browser by logging into Glose. Es gibt sicherlich so viele interessante Frauen im Mittelalter, über die man Bände schreiben könnte. Janina Ramírez is well known for bringing her interdisciplinary approach and boundless enthusiasm to her TV programmes and this book bears the same hallmarks. Her enthusiasm for her subject shines through her works as she explores an alternative view of mediaeval history through the eyes of the often neglected women of the period.She is an unapologetic enthusiast of this fascinating historical period and I enjoyed the trip she took me on here.