In this book, the author explores medieval society's fascination with the cross-dressed woman. The author examines a wide variety of religious, literary, and historical sources, which record interpretations of sartorial attempts to overcome gender hierarchy and also illustrate, mainly through the device of inversion, a remarkably sustained desire to examine and reexamine the nature of social gender identities.

Hotchkiss, Valerie R.

Introduction * Female Men of God: Cross Dressing in Medieval Hagiography * Lives and Death of Hildegund Von Schsnau * Transvestism on Trial: The Case of Jeanne D'Arc * Female Pope and the Sin of Male Disguise * Disguised Wife Gender Inversion and Gender COnformity * Cross Dressing and Sexuality * Conclusions * Hagiographic Appendix: The Lives of the Transvestite Saints * Notes * Bibliography * Index