Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing unto Others
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The topic of sexuality in medieval Europe is a hugely debated area that is becoming more and more central to the study of the Middle Ages. This highly readable new study provides an overview of the subject, demonstrating that medieval culture developed sexual identities that were quite different from the identities we think of today. Using a wide collection of evidence from the late Antique period up until the fifteenth century, this informative and intriguing volume illustrates how sex in medieval times was understood, not as something that two people did together, but as something that one person did to another. Consequently, gender roles and identities were seen very differently from the ways our society defines them. Challenging the way the Middle Ages have been treated in general histories of sexuality, the author shows how views at the time were conflicted and complicated; there was no single medieval attitude towards sexuality any more than there is one modern-day attitude. The well-known lusty priest and the "repressed" penitent have their roles to play, but set here in a wider context these figures take on fascinating new dimensions. Focusing on "normal" sexual activity as well as what was seen as transgressive, the chaptersbring these classifications into focus, covering topics such as chastity, sex within marriage, the role of the church, and non-reproductive activity. Combining an overview of research on the topic with original interpretations, and quoting extensively from sources from medieval Christian Europe, Jewish medieval culture and the Islamic world, Sexuality in Medieval Europe is essential reading for all those who study Medieval History, or who have an interest in the way sexuality and sexual identity have been viewed in the past.
1Sex and the Middle Ages12The sexuality of chastity283Sex and marriage594Women outside of marriage875Men outside of marriage120Afterword : medieval and modern sexuality150
