Ambiguous Locks - by Roberta Milliken (Paperback)

About the Book

"It has long been said that a woman's hair is her crowning glory. This interdisciplinary work explores the significance of women's hair in literature and art from the medieval period through 1525, putting into historical context the ways in which hair participates in construction of the female identity"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

It has long been said that a woman's hair is her crowning glory. Indeed, throughout history, hair has remained an important cultural symbol of femininity. In medieval art, iconic images of long, flowing locks can express sexuality, and the cutting of a woman's hair often signals her feminine misbehavior. Artists of all kinds in the Middle Ages used women's long hair to manipulate their audience's estimation of their female figures. This interdisciplinary work explores the significance of women's hair in literature and art from the medieval period through 1525, putting into historical context the ways in which hair participates in construction of the female identity.

Review Quotes

"examines representations of women's hair in works from the early medieval through the Early modern period and explores the ways in which these depictions communicated ideas about the roles, value and sexuality of women during the period."-SciTech Book News; "an interesting overview of a rich topic, written in admirably accessible language"-Speculum.

About the Author

Roberta Milliken is a professor of English at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, where she teaches medieval and renaissance literature as well as women's studies classes.