THE ONCE AND FUTURE SEX

Exploring the medieval feminine ideal

Author: Eleanor Janega Publisher: Norton Price: £22 Released: 3 March 2023

When we think of medieval women, our thoughts tend to drift towards the women we can put a name to. Figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine and Joan of Arc are known to us because of their subversive attitudes and the mark they made on history. But what was life like for ordinary medieval women? How were they expected to act and behave and how were they treated? In

The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society, Dr Eleanor Janega delves into medieval perspectives on womanhood to understand the ideals of femininity from the past all the way to the present day.

In this entertaining and revealing book, Janega examines sources written by both men and women to determine how medieval women were expected to be and how they viewed themselves, drawing parallels between medieval ideas on education, fashion and sex to the modern day throughout. Janega skilfully weaves a modern cultural commentary through her research into the medieval world, highlighting similarities and differences to today’s world for women and focussing our attention on the importance of analysing history as a way to understand the present. With references from Hippocrates to

Billie Eilish, this book does not confine itself to the medieval but uses that era as a prism through which to view thousands of years of social constructs and thought on the female ideal. If you are looking for some female-centred reading this Women’s History Month, The Once and Future Sex is a great choice.