The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic

Women in the Talmud are generally marginal and almost always anonymous - the daughters, sisters, and wives of prominent rabbis. The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic explores the stories of the exceptions, the six named heroines of the Talmud: Yalta the shrew, Homa the femme fatale, Marta the prima donna, Heruta the madonna/whore, Beruria the overreacherix, and Ima Shalom the angel in the house. As their epithets suggest, every one of these women appears to embody an antifeminist archetype. Yet...