Description
Book SynopsisIn his writings Erasmus was more interested in arguing than in settling a case. However the equivocation we find in his writings is more than a literary game or a technical expedient. It is the corollary of his scepticism. One can hardly expect unequivocal statements on complex issues such as the role of women in society from a man who holds that `human affairs take so many shapes that definite answers cannot be provided for them all.'' But as Erika Rummel demonstrates, the difficulties of interpreting Erasmus'' texts do not invalidate their use as sources of social history; they only prevent us from ascribing the views expressed specifically to Erasmus. What emerges from the text is a composite picture of women''s role in society, reflecting a spectrum of views held in Erasmus'' time rather than a coherent set of views advocated by him personally.
Erasmus on Women offers selections from Erasmus'' manuals on marriage and widowhood, his rhetorical treatises, and the
