You really should check out ‘Hild’ by Nicola Griffith. It’s a stunning imagining of 7th century Anglo-Saxon England featuring the very real Saint Hilda, but it focuses on her early life in the court of her uncle Edmund who was king of Northumbria. Griffith sticks to the facts, few though there are, but fills in the gaps with an incredible feel for the period. She has followed this up with a sequel, ‘Menewood’ that extends the story. Can’t recommend it enough.
Helen Castor is really good for medieval history. I'll have to check out the Leyser book sometime. I recently read Medieval Women by Frances and Joseph Gies. An even older worl but I've liked everything so far that I've read by them. I'd recommend on this topic Empress Matilda as a subject and Hanley's biography in particular. Awesome video!
Of course I love Joan, and Julian of Norwich & Margery Kempe. I recently read about Barbara of Cilli by Daniela Dvořáková (academic text) that was the first I had read of her.
Thanks for all the amazing book suggestions. I think that I might have to pick up the first two you mentioned. Quick question, though… wasn’t Mary I the first Queen Regnant, not Elizabeth I? If I misunderstood you, sorry about that.
You are probably right! I will have to reread the introduction to She-Wolves to investigate why Castor uses Elizabeth to book-end the other biographies.
Nice selection, congratulations! My favorite medieval figure/author/saint is Thomas Aquinas who was studied by Umberto Eco. Have you ever read any of the two?
Thank you! I recently received Eco's Name of the Rose as a present, so I'm really looking forward to giving him a try! Anything specific you'd recommend from Aquinas?
Well, you can read the complete Summa Theologica, which despite having more than 1000 pages will certainly enrichen your cultural and spiritual life, i guess... Or, you can start with a small biographical text like the one GK Chesterton wrote. The Selected Writings are also good options. I am glad you are going to read Eco's Name of the Rose because I also read it a long time ago and it will definitely have and enduring impact on you. You'll probably want to read more of his novels, like: Baudolino, The Island of the Day Before, Foucault's Pendulum, and others. They are all extraordinarily well written. Good readings!
Joan of Arc's current reputation in the English speaking world was apparently established by Mark Twain. He wrote an account of her life under a different pseudonym, in a different than usual tone. Apparently, WASP Americans knew nothing about her until his work came out.
@@TheEclecticLibrary Far more respectfully than Shakespeare. He calls her Joan la Pucelle in Henry VI. She's a witch and woman of ill repute. And speaks in sexual innuendo.
“Medieval Women” sounds like it would be a good place for me to start for me! Thank you for the video. I have just discovered your channel from Justin @triumphalreads. Happy reading!
Love Marie de France's poems (lais). I look forward to reading about her.
You really should check out ‘Hild’ by Nicola Griffith. It’s a stunning imagining of 7th century Anglo-Saxon England featuring the very real Saint Hilda, but it focuses on her early life in the court of her uncle Edmund who was king of Northumbria. Griffith sticks to the facts, few though there are, but fills in the gaps with an incredible feel for the period. She has followed this up with a sequel, ‘Menewood’ that extends the story. Can’t recommend it enough.
That sounds exactly up my alley, thanks so much for the recommendation!
Thank you for the book recommendation. I will definitely check out the societal history one. 🎉
Thank you for watching! Hope you find the book interesting 🙂
Helen Castor is really good for medieval history. I'll have to check out the Leyser book sometime. I recently read Medieval Women by Frances and Joseph Gies. An even older worl but I've liked everything so far that I've read by them. I'd recommend on this topic Empress Matilda as a subject and Hanley's biography in particular. Awesome video!
Thank you for the recommendations, I'll definitely have a look!
Of course I love Joan, and Julian of Norwich & Margery Kempe. I recently read about Barbara of Cilli by Daniela Dvořáková (academic text) that was the first I had read of her.
I'd never heard of Barbara of Cilli before, but she sounds fascinating! I'll have to see if I can find something on her for a decent price
Hildegard of Bingen 😊
Thanks for all the amazing book suggestions. I think that I might have to pick up the first two you mentioned.
Quick question, though… wasn’t Mary I the first Queen Regnant, not Elizabeth I? If I misunderstood you, sorry about that.
You are probably right! I will have to reread the introduction to She-Wolves to investigate why Castor uses Elizabeth to book-end the other biographies.
Nice selection, congratulations! My favorite medieval figure/author/saint is Thomas Aquinas who was studied by Umberto Eco. Have you ever read any of the two?
Thank you! I recently received Eco's Name of the Rose as a present, so I'm really looking forward to giving him a try! Anything specific you'd recommend from Aquinas?
Well, you can read the complete Summa Theologica, which despite having more than 1000 pages will certainly enrichen your cultural and spiritual life, i guess... Or, you can start with a small biographical text like the one GK Chesterton wrote. The Selected Writings are also good options.
I am glad you are going to read Eco's Name of the Rose because I also read it a long time ago and it will definitely have and enduring impact on you. You'll probably want to read more of his novels, like: Baudolino, The Island of the Day Before, Foucault's Pendulum, and others. They are all extraordinarily well written.
Good readings!
Joan of Arc's current reputation in the English speaking world was apparently established by Mark Twain. He wrote an account of her life under a different pseudonym, in a different than usual tone. Apparently, WASP Americans knew nothing about her until his work came out.
That's fascinating! As a European, Joan of Arc is definitely quite well-known. I would be curious to see how Twain portrayed Joan
@@TheEclecticLibrary Far more respectfully than Shakespeare. He calls her Joan la Pucelle in Henry VI. She's a witch and woman of ill repute. And speaks in sexual innuendo.
“Medieval Women” sounds like it would be a good place for me to start for me! Thank you for the video. I have just discovered your channel from Justin @triumphalreads. Happy reading!
Thank you for watching!
Well yes, you gotta dress for the part as a "Medieval woman." Regale us with tales of HER / STORY 🤓