The Case of The Abbot of Drimnagh: A Medieval Irish Story of Sex-Change

Quick Overview

The enigmatic anecdote known as ‘The Abbot of Drimnagh’ contains an account of sex-changes experienced by an abbot, and its interpretation presents many challenges for the modern reader. The concepts of love, marriage and gender are central to the events recounted and these issues clearly resonated differently with the intended audience than they do with us today.

The analysis presented in this volume draws on modern writing on literary theory, on gender and sexuality, in addition to the work of historians and medieval literary analysts, and has as its central aim a desire to create an interest in this captivating but unusual tale.