Abstract
This multi-authored reference volume treats the complex relationships of women with medieval literary culture from the early Middle Ages to the sixteenth century. While the primary emphasis is on England, the volume also includes Latin, French, German, Welsh and Gaelic literary culture. It places writing within Britain in a wider European context, and also looks beyond this, for instance, to Arabic influences on European writing. Essays explore book production and authorship; receptionl linguistic, literary, and cultural contexts and influences; women’s education and spheres of knowledge; women as writers, scribes and translators; women as patrons, readers and book owners; and women as subjects. Providing a long view, the volume surveys women’s literary culture from the early Middle Ages through to the eve of the Reformation and emphasises the multilingual and multicultural contexts of women’s literary culture, looking beyond England to consider wider British, European and Arabic influences.