This collection brings together twelve essays published between 1988 and
2014, two of which are here translated into English from (respectively)
their original French or German. All the essays use gender as the main
category of analysis, whether of late ancient or early medieval texts or
of modern medievalist films.
The historical studies of medieval Europe emphasize the use of
manuscript-level evidence, that is, actual sources from the period in
question; arguably, this approach provides a more accurate understanding
of the period than does work done on the basis of printed and edited
sources. Furthermore, many of the manuscript-based essays specifically
exploit liturgical or liturgy-adjacent materials; this is an area of
research and a type of manuscript that has rarely been approached
through a gendered lens. Meanwhile, the cinematic medievalism essays
focus on the processes of remediation and adaptation, searching
specifically for points at which filmmaking teams diverged from their
sources as evidence for the main goals of the films (while also
attending to production contexts and to reception).
The juxtaposition in a single collection of scholarship on medieval
manuscripts and modern movies illustrates how period specialists can
contribute to conversations in the field of (historical) film studies.
The book will be of interest to historians of women, gender, Christian
liturgy, medieval Europe, medievalism, and historical film.
