Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Introduction 1
5. 1. Molestiae Nuptiarum and the Yahwist Creation 13
6. 2. Early Christianity and the Estheticization ofGender 37
7. 3. "Devil's Gateway" and "Bride ofChrist" 65
8. 4. The Poetics of Virginity 93
9. 5. The Old French Lay and the Myriad Modes ofMale Indiscretion 113
10. 6. The Love Lyric and the Paradox ofPerfection 143
11. 7. Heiresses and Dowagers: The Power ofWomen to Dispose 165
12. Notes 199
13. Bibliography 271
14. Index 291