此课程从各种文化、社会背景和历史时期的女性作家的视角出发，对中世纪欧洲文学（从古典晚期至15世纪）进行了大体介绍。尽管大部分课程将致力于考察由西方新兴女性领导并为女性而产生的新文学传统的发展，更为宽泛的历史文化运动也将被集中研究，其中包括：罗马帝国的衰亡，宗教团体的发展，从口述文学到书面文学的转变，宫廷文化和优雅的爱，经院哲学和大学的兴起，宗教习俗的变化，异教徒遭受迫害以及民族主义和阶级意识的出现。作家将涵盖当时大部分著名女作家：平吉的黑尔德嘉、巴黎的埃罗伊兹、马丽·德·法兰西、克里斯蒂娜·德·皮桑、圣女贞德、马杰里·肯普及其他许多尽管不太著名却有趣迷人的女作家们。
This survey provides a general introduction to medieval European literature (from Late Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century) from the perspective of women writers from a variety of cultures, social backgrounds, and historical timeperiods. Though much of the class will be devoted to exploring the evolution of a new literary tradition by and for women from its earliest emergence in the West, wider historical and cultural movements will also be addressed: the Fall of the Roman Empire, the growth of religious communities, the shift from orality to literacy, the culture of chivalry and courtly love, the emergence of scholasticism and universities, changes in devotional practices, the persecution of heretics, the rise of nationalism and class consciousness. Authors will include some of the most famous women of the period: Hildegard of Bingen, Heloise of Paris, Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc, Margery Kempe, along with many interesting and intriguing though lesser known figures.
