Gender and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

Contrary to many modern notions about women’s history in the pre-modern age, we find numerous female individuals who proved to be exercise much intellectual influence and political power. Although patriarchy was certainly the official social structure, this should not mislead us to assume that hence all women were subjugated. As recent research has documented, already in the early and high Middle Ages, numerous queens can be identified who held enormous power. This did not come to an end in the late Middle Ages and early modern age either (see, e.g., Queen Elizabeth I). This talk will examine what we know about the presentation of women in late medieval and early modern literature as a corrective or complement to the historical records. The main figures to be brought to light are famous Christine de Pizan, Margery Kempe, Joan of Arc, Helene Kottannerin, Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbruecken, and Argula von Grumbach. All of them made their voices heard in writing, though they used a range of textual genres depending on their individual interests. To be sure, we can certainly identify a strong discourse about and by women well before the modern age.

Biography

ALBRECHT CLASSEN received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1986. He has a broad range of research interests covering the history of German and European literature from about 800 to 1600. He has currently published 132 books and well over 800 articles dealing with comparative issues, gender topics, environmental concerns, and cultural historical themes. Most recently appeared Prostitution in Medieval and Early Modern Literature (2021), Charlemagne in Medieval German and Dutch Literature (2021), Tracing the Trails in the Medieval World (2021), Wisdom from the European Middle Ages (2022), The Secret in Medieval Literature (2022), Globalism in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age (ed., 2023), and Der Niederrheinische Orientbericht, c. 1350 (trans., 2024). A new book on court criticism and of evil kings in medieval literature appeared in 2024. In 2017, he received the rank of Grand Knight Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Three Lions.