Beginning with an examination of the different stages of women's lives--childhood, virginity, marriage and widowhood, this Companion addresses various aspects of medieval life that affected women's writing. These include the nature of authorship in the period, the position of women at home or in nunneries, and their relationship to religion. Additional essays cover the lives and work of such prominent women writers as Heloise, Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe and Joan of Arc. A chronology and guides to further reading add information which students and scholars will find invaluable.

Contributors; Chronology Chris Africa; Introduction Carolyn Dinshaw and David Wallace; Part I. Estates of Women: 1. Female Childhoods Daniel T. Kline; 2. Virginity Ruth Evans; 3. Marriage Dyan Elliott; 4. Widows Barbara Hanawalt; 5. Between Women Karma Lochrie; Part II. Texts and Other Spaces: 6. Women and authorship Jennifer Summit; 7. Enclosure Christopher Cannon; 8. At home; out of the house Sarah Salih; 9. Beneath the pulpit Alcuin Blamires; Part III. Medieval Women: 10. Heloise Christopher Baswell; 11. Marie de France Roberta L. Krueger; 12. The Roman de la Rose, Christine de Pizan, and the querelles des femmes David F. Hult; 13. Lyrics and romances Sarah McNamer; 14. Julian of Norwich Nicholas Watson; 15. Margery Kempe Carolyn Dinshaw; 16. Continental women mystics and English readers Alexandra Barratt; 17. Joan of Arc Nadia Margolis; Guide to further reading.