Spent over two hours today in the British Library’s exhibition on medieval women. They did such an amazing job with this. Go see it if you can! - ThreadSky

elizaaudacis.bsky.social • 17 days ago

Spent over two hours today in the British Library’s exhibition on medieval women. They did such an amazing job with this. Go see it if you can!

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Comments

elisasays.bsky.social•16 days ago

I’m so jealous

feklar669.bsky.social•16 days ago

Come on over to 'Merica and soon you will be able to see women reduced to medieval status outside of museums for free
.

accipitrium.bsky.social•15 days ago

Haha - I beat you - 3 1/2 hours 😆.

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•15 days ago

Not a competition; glad you enjoyed it!

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•17 days ago

I’ve worked with rare books and manuscripts for long enough that I thought I was immune to Proximity to Cool Shit, but I almost cried seeing the only surviving copy of the first version of Revelations of Divine Love.

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•16 days ago

I think two of the best things about this exhibition are 1. How they highlighted non-elite women and surfaced some of those stories alongside your usual mystics and queens and 2. How they handled the Eleanor Rykener court document

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•16 days ago

It’s a small thing, but choosing to unapologetically and without explanation use her correct pronouns is really important, and I’m so glad they did.

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•16 days ago

Other things I loved: this northern English manuscript of nuns in a convent, including the wicked sisters “Pride, Envy, Grouching, and Ill-Deeming”

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•16 days ago

This INCREDIBLE poem in praise of vaginas by a 16th century Welsh woman poet—I had no idea Gwerful Mechain existed, and this is just fabulous (her poetry only survives in later copies, the one on display is 18c)

elizaaudacis.bsky.social•16 days ago

Their strategic use of statistical information throughout the entire exhibition to give important context! I had no idea, for example, that only about 1% of all women during the Middle Ages were nuns.