Performing Virginity and Testing Chastity in the Middle Ages opens with a survey of classical and medieval medical treatises that offer advice on verifying female virginity - and sometimes suggest ways to fake it. Then, proofs of virginity as they recur throughout Christian hagiography (particularly when the virgin is threatened with rape) are discusses, as well as the chastity test or ordeal as it is represented in vernacular romance. The representation of the male virgin in hagiography and romance is also analysed. Finally, the author explores examples from contemporary fiction, television and film in which testing virginity is a theme. Performing Virginity and Testing Chastity in the Middle Ages presents a compelling and provocative study of virginity, which challenges the belief that female virginity can be reliably and unambiguously defined, tested and verified.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN-13
9780415221818
eBay Product ID (ePID)
95563988
Product Key Features
Book Title
Performing Virginity and Testing Chastity in the Middle Ages
Author
Kathleen Coyne Kelly
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Literature, Zoology, History
Publication Year
2000
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
208 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
234mm
Item Width
156mm
Item Weight
454g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Kathleen Coyne Kelly
Series Title
Routledge Research in Medieval Studies
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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