Medieval Feminism

Medieval Feminism

Author: Weird Medieval Guys February 10, 2024 Duration: 1:44:05

Weird Medieval Guys is back! And it's gone woke!!!!!!

We all know medieval women didn't have it so good. Endlessly discriminated against in law, demeaned in culture and ignored in the histories. So, did anyone take issue with that? Turns out, yes! This week Olivia and Aran take you through the cultural milieu that produced Christine de Pizan, the poet / political scientist / gender polemnicist who revolutionized fourteenth-century debate and was (maybe?) the world's first feminist.

Also discussed: the origins of the wage gap, the medieval Yoko Ono, and whether losers will listen to this episode before getting mad about it on the internet!

Further reading:

Joan Kelly, "Early Feminist Theory and the "Querelle des Femmes", 1400-1789" https://www.jstor.org/stable/3173479

Fiona Tolhurst, "Geoffrey and Gender: the Works of Geoffrey of Monmouth as Medieval “Feminism”", in A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth, eds. Georgia Henley and Joshua Byron Smith https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.1163/j.ctv2gjwzx0.20.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3Ab0f9ab96223431831c1834f0de4f492d&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-7052%2Fcontrol&origin=&initiator=search-results&acceptTC=1

An English translation of Christine de Pizan's Book of the City of Ladies https://www.docdroid.net/file/download/lFahHSo/the-book-of-the-city-of-ladies-by-christine-de-pizan-earl-jeffrey-richards-transl-z-liborg-pdf.pdf


Ever wondered what people in the Middle Ages actually talked about over a pint, or what bizarre details lurk in the margins of illuminated manuscripts? Weird Medieval Guys digs into all that and more, hosted by Olivia-the mind behind the popular online presence-and Aran, a historian with a keen eye for the odd. Together, they sift through centuries of history, art, and primary sources not to recount the grand, familiar narratives, but to uncover the strange, hilarious, and profoundly human stories that usually get left out of the textbooks. Each episode feels like a conversation with two deeply knowledgeable friends who can’t wait to tell you about the monk who drew a fighting snail in his prayer book, or the surprisingly complex social rules of medieval beekeeping. This isn’t a dry lecture; it’s an exploration of the everyday weirdness that defined an entire era, from peculiar fashion choices and questionable medical remedies to the lives of figures who were, by any measure, absolute characters. Tune in for a consistently surprising and deeply researched look at the past, where the focus is always on the details that make history feel alive, relatable, and endlessly fascinating. You’ll come away from this podcast with a new appreciation for the Middle Ages, one wonderfully weird guy at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 60

Weird Medieval Guys
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