Introduction

Strictly speaking, the title of this book, Representations of Eve in Antiquity and the English Middle Ages, should be hedged about with caveats and qualifi cations. The simple ‘English Middle Ages’ refers to an entity that is neither geographically nor chronologically well defi ned. One way of quantifying the geography focuses on the territory ruled by particular monarchs.1

The extent of England on this reckoning varies greatly if, for example, one thinks of Athelstan in the tenth century rather than Henry II in the twelfth. As for chronology, ‘medieval’ encompasses material from the Anglo-Saxon period until circa 1500. That the precise boundaries of the medieval and early modern periods are fuzzy is apparent when considering medieval theatre. The Norwich Grocers’ Play and the Cornish Creacion of the World show that this drama was being written and adapted well into the sixteenth century. Most of the material falling under ‘antiquity’ is drawn from the Church Fathers (Chapter 1) and Jewish and Christian texts of the fi fth and sixth centuries (Chapter 2). These were selected not only for their intrinsic interest but also for their infl uence in the Middle Ages. Although this book ranges over texts in a number of languages (see, in particular, Chapters 4 and 5), it is focused on England. European texts are included where they were known by English writers or where they are analogues drawing on a common heritage of lore about Eve. Such analogues are useful because, although a modern scholar can look back and wonder or regret that a particular approach to Eve was not taken, this is more meaningful where a text from a similar culture shows what was possible.