Summary

My PhD makes a timely contribution to queer, feminist, and medieval studies where intersectional, non-binary frameworks are emerging, but where the feminine figure remains oft-erased. It reshapes modern queer and feminist discourse by exploring the legacy of late medieval queer femininities. I explore late medieval illuminations of maternal monks and vulnerable Christ-figures, effeminate sodomites and apocalyptic whores, femmes in courtly romances and bodies feminized through frailty. I further consider their resonances with contemporary queer artists who likewise challenge presumptions of white, female, and able-bodied femininity. This interdisciplinary research detaches femininity from femaleness to centre its intersectionality, cross-temporal resonances, and methodological value.