Gender and Holiness

This collection brings together two areas of medieval scholarship: gender and religion. It examines gender-specific religious practices and contends that the pursuit of holiness can destabilize binary gender itself. Though saints may be classified as masculine or feminine, holiness may also cut across gender divisions and demand a break from normally gendered behaviour. This work of interdisciplinary cultural history includes contributions from historians, art historians and literary critics. A wide range of topics are covered, including: the cults of various saints and aspiring saints, such as Saints Margaret, George and Francis; Richard II's quasi-virginal kingship; sexualized tortures of female martyrs; and homo-erotic responses to the body of Christ.

'That so many of these essays succeed in being purely provocative is a testament to the quality of the book.' - Reformation