Book excerpt: In recent times postmodernism has influenced all areas of the humanistic disciplines, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about the meaning of historical evidence and our ability to read and interpret it. Medievalists have been notably present in these debates, bringing 'the linguistic turn' to medieval sources and renewing a traditional field with non-traditional subjects and approaches. Writing Medieval History surveys those aspects of theory and its related new subject matters that have become part of the mainstream discipline of medieval history. This book is organized around three major themes: the self or recognizing people in premodern society; literary techniques for reading historical texts; and historicizing sexuality and gender. Within each section are essays on subjects such as the social self, uses of psychoanalysis, and sex and gender in medieval life. This text clearly articulates concepts, defines critical vocabulary and demonstrates how the theory is applied in practice.