
The Distaff Gospels
A First Modern English Edition of Les Evangiles des Quenouilles
Broadview Press Ltd
Published on 1. January 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
325 pages
978-1-55111-560-3 (ISBN)
Description
The Distaff Gospels (Les Evangiles des Quenouilles), a fascinating fifteenth-century collection of more than 250 popular beliefs, constitutes a kind of encyclopedia of late medieval women's wisdom. The women's beliefs and experiences are recounted within the narrative frame of traditional gatherings where women meet with their spindles and distaffs to spin. They share advice on such important matters as how to control errant husbands, how to predict the gender of future offspring, how to cure common diseases, and ways to deal with evil spirits, providing a rare look into the intimate lives of medieval peasant women.
This edition includes a facing-page translation (the first in English since 1510) of the two Old French manuscripts of the text. The critical introduction discusses the literary context, textual history, and cultural significance of The Distaff Gospels, while the rich selection of appendices includes translations of the names of the women storytellers and excerpts from works by Giovanni Boccaccio, Jean de Meun, Francois Villon, and Christine de Pizan.
This edition includes a facing-page translation (the first in English since 1510) of the two Old French manuscripts of the text. The critical introduction discusses the literary context, textual history, and cultural significance of The Distaff Gospels, while the rich selection of appendices includes translations of the names of the women storytellers and excerpts from works by Giovanni Boccaccio, Jean de Meun, Francois Villon, and Christine de Pizan.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Calgary
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 384 mm
Weight
428 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-55111-560-3 (9781551115603)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Madeleine Jeay and Kathleen Garay teach in the department of French and the Arts and Sciences Programme, respectively, at McMaster University. They are the translators and editors of The Life of Saint Douceline, a Beguine of Provence (D.S. Brewer, 2001).