Lady Godiva A Literary History of the Legend

This book investigates who Lady Godiva was, how the story of her naked horseback ride through Coventry arose, and how the whole Godiva legend has evolved from the thirteenth century through to the present day. Traces the erotic myth of Lady Godiva back to its medieval origins. Based on scholarly research but written to be accessible to general readers. Combines history, literature, art and folklore. Focuses on the twin themes of voyeurism and medievalism. Contributes to our understanding of cultural history, medievalism and the history of sexuality.

Daniel G. Donoghue is Professor of English at Harvard University. He is the author of Style in Old English Poetry (1987) and co-editor, with Seamus Heaney, of Beowulf: A Verse Translation (2002). He is also the author of the chapter on Lady Godiva in Literary Appropriations of the Anglo-Saxons from the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century (eds Donald Scragg and Carole Weinberg, 2000).