Women in Medieval Times FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Other Half of History explores an aspect of history that is often overlooked - the history of women.
This fascinating book looks at the lives of women in medieval Europe. In the eyes of the law, women were children, to be guarded and controlled. Motherhood was their main purpose in life. The Church also taught that women were dangerous and sinful. On the other hand, wives helped their husbands in the fields and in workshops, and many nuns and abbesses were respected for their wisdom and learning. Although women rarely gained power without the support of men, a few noblewomen used their position to play a part in the political struggles and battles of medieval Europe.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-Clear and concise series titles. Arranged topically, the books briefly discuss such subjects as the role of women at home and at work, health and beauty, and famous individuals. In Rome, discussions range from a girl's childhood and education to men's perception of women to Sulpicia, a poetess, and Doctor Fabiola, a surgeon. Medieval Times covers similar topics with additional emphasis on women in villages and towns and noblewomen. Although the focus of these titles is on females, readers will also learn some basic information about these eras. Both books have numerous photographs and reproductions of period art and artifacts that serve to clarify and enhance the texts. Quotes from writings of the periods and sidebars give further insight. These well-rounded historical overviews will be useful for research ideas or for reports.-Lana Miles, Duchesne Academy, Houston, TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Kirkus Reviews
Children know the medieval period best for its knights in shining armor. With an eye to redressing the omission of women from many historical accounts, MacDonald highlights some of the better-known women of the time, as well as the lives of everyday women, in this overview. While the other books in this series explore specific countries (Women in Ancient Greece, 1999, etc.), this history covers a broad spectrum of Christian women in many European nations. Contents include the role of women in medieval society, marriage, motherhood, health, dress, work, and religion, as well as short biographical information on notable women. Each subject is divided into paragraphs under bold headings in the style of an encyclopedia article. In a paragraph entitled "Multicultural," MacDonald acknowledges that medieval Muslim, Jewish, and pagan women did exist; however, scanty information about them is given. Numerous reproductions of illustrations taken from books and paintings of the time break up the text, as do boxed quotations and anecdotes taken from original sources. The illustrations are accompanied by excellent explanatory captions; in fact, quotations and the captioned illustrations are often more interesting and specific than the text, which is quite general. A survey of five hundred years of history cannot cover so large a subject in depth, and this one omits many historical events that affected women's lives, but students looking for another source for information on women will find this helpful. (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Home
