Exploring the relation between sexuality and cosmology in a variety of literary texts from the tenth to the sixteenth centuries, the essays reveal that medieval authors, whether lay or religious, Christian or Jewish, were grappling with the same sets of questions about sexuality as people are today.

In Fruit of the Orchard, Jennifer N. Brown builds upon academic discourse about medieval readers, trans-Reformation studies, and Catherine of Siena to reveal insights into the changing devotional reading appetites and practices of the period.