Normal women : 900 years of making history

Gregory, Philippa2023

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Summary

Normal Women is a radical reframing of our nation’s story, told not with the rise and fall of kings and the occasional queen, but through social and cultural transition, showing the agency, persistence and effectiveness of women in society – from 1066 to modern times. Did women do nothing to shape England’s culture and traditions during nine centuries of political turmoil, plague, famine, prosperity, religious reform? Philippa Gregory answers this question by telling stories of the soldiers, guild widows, highwaywomen, pirates, miners and ship owners, international traders, theatre impresarios, social campaigners and ‘female husbands’ who did much to build the fabric of our society and in ways as diverse and varied as the women themselves. A landmark work of scholarship and storytelling, this is a history not a call to action. It cannot be a celebratory account about women’s ‘rise’ because women are not yet equal. But by highlighting the drive, ingenuity and vast contribution made, it puts women back where they belong in our history – centre stage.