Medieval Monstrosity and the Female Body

In this study, Miller argues that one incarnation of monstrosity in the Middle Ages-the female body-exists in special relation to medieval conceptualizations of the monstrous. Because female corporeality is pervasive, proximate, and necessary, it resists marginalization, and thus illustrates the allure and danger of the monster.

Sarah Alison Miller is as assistant professor of Classics at Duquesne University.

Acknowledgments Introduction: The Monstrous Borders of the Female Body 1: Ovidian Poetry, Virgins, Mothers, and Monsters: Ovidian and Pseudo-Ovidian Bodies 2: Gynecology, Gynecological Secrets: Blood, Seed, and Monstrous Births in De secretis mulierum 3: Mystical Theology, Monstrous Love: The Permeable Body of Christ in Julian of Norwich's Showings Conclusion: The Monstrous Borders of the Self Notes Bibliography Index