"One of most prominent Byzantine women writers of the European Middle Ages, the princess Anna Komnene perfected vernacular satire and romantic fiction: but she is most famous for the epic Alexiad, which marks a departure from the tradition of Byzantine historical writing." "This volume explores the life of Anna Komnene, the Byzantine context in which she wrote, and the impact of the Alexiad on her times and on subsequent historical works of literature."--BOOK JACKET.