Summary: Women's Influence On Medieval Culture

Culture can be affected by many different factors. One factor that affected medieval culture was women’s book ownership. Susan Bell makes a claim that medieval women’s special relationship with books is often overlooked, but it influenced iconography, book content, and the geographical movement of ideas. The influence of women during the later medieval period affected vernacular language, religious thought, and the spread of cultures and this influence is often overshadowed by the activities and achievements of educated and religious men at that same time. Historical influences at that time are important in understand the importance of education and why books are so importance to women. Likewise, previous material about women and books are …show more content…
Her first example is the Western Civilization book and it is aware of the literacy of women at that time, but Bell criticizes its lack of credit to women as “creators and users of books” (744). Secondly, she lists other scholarly articles that will also ignore the importance of lay women book ownership. The lack of information about the impact of women book ownership concerns Bell and motivates her to write this piece and address this original thought in medieval …show more content…
The transition of memory to written word was important for women and the disadvantage of cultural restrictions of their education did not stop women from seeking their own way to get knowledge. Religious expectations allowed them to acquire these books for religious purposes used it to educated themselves and their children. Vernacular translations, iconographic changes, and the movement of ideas were only some of the impacts of books in the hands of women. Overall, women sought their own resources for knowledge and even if they aren’t recognized correctly in history, they impacted their families, Christianity, and their own