The Lady in the Tower: Medieval Courtesy Literature for Women

This first study of medieval courtesy literature for women analyzes didactic works written between 500-1500, with a preliminary discussion of treatises by the Church Fathers. The author has broadly defined courtesy literature to include not only books of etiquette, but also books of advice from mother or father to daughter, books of instruction addressed to women by clerks, mirrors for the princesses, and even "Arts of Love" containing practical advice that was intended to be taken seriously. The courtesy books were meant to serve as guides for behavior in the real world. Consequently, they reveal a great deal about the roles women were expected to play in the Middle Ages, the restrictions they were supposed to observe, and the responsibilities they had to fulfill. The images presented are not always realistic but are sometimes idealized. The authors often had a polemical purpose and would exaggerate to convince women of the value of a particular way of life. Writers sometimes ignored or criticized developments of their time, such as the increasing economic role of women, rather than reporting them. At times the courtesy books reflect their age, and at times they resist it: even so, they illuminate the mental climate of the period. They are one of the most valuable sources available for information about the lives of women and, more particularly, attitudes toward them. Moreover, they allow us to trace the origins of ideas about women and femininity that have dominated Western culture.