"This book investigates perceptions of the Virgin Mary through several centuries of literature. Focusing especially on the depictions of the Virgin Mary in medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, the author rediscovers a time when the Divine Female was very much in evidence, and good Christian women were taught to pray to a Holy Mother"--Provided by publisher.

CG.

Explorations : why Mary was lost -- Beginnings : Mary in the Bible -- Devotional objects : I carry her with me always -- Marian places : the Virgin at home and abroad -- Marian times : days, months and life passages -- Context : relationships with St. Anne, St. Joseph, Eve, and the devil -- The Virgin's virgins : nuns and Mary -- Mystics and miracles : touched by the Virgin's hand -- Transformations : from pagan to Christian to the uncertain future of Mary -- Two Marys : the virgin and the (repentant) whore.