"Andrea Janelle Dickens appeals to the mystic in every reader with her inviting and informative treatments of a dozen medieval women. She proclaims them 'exemplary rather than extraordinary, ' suggesting, contra their times, that gender is no boundary to holiness. For the widely known (Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Hildegard of Bingen) as well as the less studied ... Read more(Angela of Foligno, Richeldis of Faverches, and Mechtilde of Hackeborn) matters of love, location, authority, pilgrimage, and anti-clericalism are common themes. This readable introduction is the perfect primer for the religious studies or gender studies classroom and has ample scholarly apparatus to encourage further study." - Mary E Hunt, Co-director, Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER), Silver Spring, Maryland; "'The Female Mystic' will serve as an excellent introductory textbook to the life, works and thought of twelve leading women mystics, from 11th Century Richeldis of Faverches to 16th Century Teresa of Avila. The discussion throughout is balanced, informed and clear. The author has both an eye for detail and an admirable capacity to sketch an insightful overview of each figure against the background of her own historical period and within her own social contexts. In these pages the mystical texts emerge as distinctively female, though open-endedly so, and as a vital communication of the rich, multi-faceted world of medieval Europe. 'The Female Mystic' will open up new horizons for any reader who wishes to come closer to these extraordinary texts and their authors." - Oliver Davies, Professor of Christian Doctrine, King's College London Show Less