Abstract
This is the first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to medieval women’s writing. Focusing on the thousand-year period between 500-1500, this comprehensive reference work addresses a long-standing gap in scholarship on women writers from this period. It challenges current understandings of the literary tradition of women by incorporating early writers and texts that remain marginal and by expanding definitions of textual composition to include more collaborative activities. Entries extend beyond works written in England, Scotland and Wales to include works by women from Europe, Africa and Asia. By locating medieval women’s writing within its cultural, social, religious and political contexts, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women’s Writing will be an ideal entry point for students and researchers coming into the field.