Spine title: Medieval misogyny & the invention of Western romantic love.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-290) and index.

Molestiae nuptiarum and the Yahwist creation -- Early Christianity and the estheticization of gender -- "Devil's gateway" and "Bride of Christ" -- Poetics of virginity -- Old French lay and the myriad modes of male indiscretion -- Love lyric and the paradox of perfection -- Heiresses and dowagers: the power of women to dispose.

Until now the advent of Western romantic love has been seen as a liberation from--or antidote to--ten centuries of misogyny. In this major contribution to gender studies, R. Howard Bloch demonstrates how similar the ubiquitous antifeminism of medieval times and the romantic idealization of woman actually are. Through analyses of a broad range of patristic and medieval texts, Bloch explores the Christian construction of gender in which the flesh is feminized, the feminine is aestheticized, and aesthetics are condemned in theological terms. Tracing the underlying theme of virginity from the Church.