Medieval Women on Film

Essays on Gender, Cinema and History

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Edited by Kevin J. Harty

Type: Studies
Subject: Genre > Historical films
Keywords: historical films, women, medieval
Publishing date: 2020
Publisher: McFarland & Co
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 216 pages
7 x 10 inches (18 x 25.5 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4766-6844-4

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Book Presentation:
In this first ever book-length treatment, 11 scholars with a variety of backgrounds in medieval studies, film studies, and medievalism discuss how historical and fictional medieval women have been portrayed on film and their connections to the feminist movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. From detailed studies of the portrayal of female desire and sexuality, to explorations of how and when these women gain agency, these essays look at the different ways these women reinforce, defy, and complicate traditional gender roles. Individual essays discuss the complex and sometimes conflicting cinematic treatments of Guinevere, Morgan Le Fay, Isolde, Maid Marian, Lady Godiva, Heloise, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Joan of Arc. Additional essays discuss the women in Fritz Lang’s The Nibelungen, Liv Ullmann’s Kristin Lavransdatter, and Bertrand Tavernier’s La Passion Béatrice.

About the Author:
Kevin J. Harty, professor and formerly chair of English and coordinator of the Undergraduate General Education Core at La Salle University in Philadelphia, is associate editor of Arthuriana, the official journal of the North American Branch of the International Arthurian Society (of which he is the former president). He has previously written or edited 14 books, including ground-breaking studies of depictions of the Middle Ages on film.

Press Reviews:
• "This volume looks at portrayals in film of various medieval European female figures, both the legendary and the historical…Most of the contributors are scholars of medieval history or literature, but several have a research interest in film."—Choice

• "Kevin J. Harty’s work on the ‘reel’ Middle Ages has been invaluable for the study of medieval cinema, and Medieval Women on Film is a welcome contribution to this work. …an insightful cross-disciplinary exploration of ‘the multiplicity of conuadicrory roles’ medieval women have played on film for over a century…an impressive collection…engagingly written essays are both scholarly and accessible…these essays provide readers an informative and thought-provoking cinematic history"—Arthuriana

• "A compendium of fascinating and often innovative case studies on medieval women in world cinema…The collection provides a sound basis for anyone interested in filmic medievalism…Harty sets out to show ‘just how multi-faceted medieval women’s screen lives can be’ and he succeeds, unpacking the long history of fictional and historical medieval women on film, in all their nuance…. Amy Kaufman’s chapter…is medievalism at its finest…Harty’s collection draws its strength from the diversity and expansiveness of its independently interesting essays but also from its overall invaluable contribution to the study of the ‘reel Middle Ages’ and to the field of Medievalism Studies as a whole."—Parergon

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co

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