The Lady and the Virgin : Image, Attitude, and Experience in Twelfth-Century France (Women in Culture and Society Series)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent text, of broader interest than the title suggests.
Review: An indisciplanary work which has served me well since first I read it, Schine-Gold's book achieves its remarkable results through an intense look at a narrow geographic area and time period. However, it must be recalled that in the twelfth century, France was the most important intellectural center in Europe. As such, Schine-Gold's narrow focus actually allows her to examine trends and developements of broad significance during the medieval period. By combining a solid grasp of literary criticism with a stellar view of art history, Schine-Gold produces a book that is of interest to students of several disciplines: medieval literature, history, art, and even religion and philosophy. Her close readings of texts and monuments allow her to develope some solid, interesting, and sometimes surprising theories that have an impact on ones's general understanding of 12th century France and the Middle Ages in general. A fine, fine work I would recommend to experienced undergraduates as well as those of great experience in their fields.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent text, of broader interest than the title suggests.
Review: An indisciplanary work which has served me well since first I read it, Schine-Gold's book achieves its remarkable results through an intense look at a narrow geographic area and time period. However, it must be recalled that in the twelfth century, France was the most important intellectural center in Europe. As such, Schine-Gold's narrow focus actually allows her to examine trends and developements of broad significance during the medieval period. By combining a solid grasp of literary criticism with a stellar view of art history, Schine-Gold produces a book that is of interest to students of several disciplines: medieval literature, history, art, and even religion and philosophy. Her close readings of texts and monuments allow her to develope some solid, interesting, and sometimes surprising theories that have an impact on ones's general understanding of 12th century France and the Middle Ages in general. A fine, fine work I would recommend to experienced undergraduates as well as those of great experience in their fields.

Rating:
Summary: Half correct, but altogether unconvincing.
Review: In the book The Lady and the Virgin, Penny Schine Gold presents a two-fold argument: first, that the relationship between the image of women and the reality of the existence of women is far more complex than traditionally imagined, representing a continual pattern of ambivalence and contradiction; and second, that measuring the culture, society, and images of the Middle Ages in terms of modern values and ideas, or even in terms of good and bad, is of far less benefit than an effort to "understand medieval people within their own terms." These patterns are analyzed in four areas: secular image, religious image, religious life, and secular life. In regards to secular image and reality, her points are quite clear and successfully made; however, her arguments on religious image and reality are both unconvincing and easily refuted.....