Minji Lee's slim volume provides not only an engaging close reading of Hildegard's idea of the reproductive body, but also a thoughtful contextualization of the medieval German polymath's vision. Lee argues persuasively that, in cultural as well as medical terms, Hildegard's conceptualization of the female reproductive body was distinctive.[.] The fact that the Latin is includedin extenso--rather than assuming that interested readers will have knowledge of and access to editions of Hildegard's works--makes The Medieval Wombparticularly accessible to graduate seminars. Its length also means that it could be productively and feasibly assigned in advanced undergraduate courses, presuming classroom environments where most students would have strong reading skills and some background in medieval and/or women's history.[.] Shortly after I received a copy of this book for review, I found myself in conversation with a student doing an undergraduate thesis on Hildegard of Bingen. His starting point for research was reflection on how Hildegard's embodied experiences were similar to his own; but he observed dispiritedly to me that he felt he could not write about his physical and emotional experiences in an academic context.

Rather than attempt an abstract rebuttal, I reached for this book, and told him to read its preface. In it, Lee discusses both her personal experiences of menstruation and her scholarly encounters with it. I myself had been struck by the vulnerability and boldness of this, and anticipate that this will be rewarded in the ways it stimulates and facilitates conversations like the one I had with my student.