This work investigates how the institution of prostitution functioned as a central component in the medieval construction of female identity and social order. Ruth Mazo Karras, a historian specializing in medieval gender and sexuality, utilizes a diverse array of primary sources—ranging from legal records and didactic literature to imaginative texts—to analyze the paradox of the prostitute as a marginalized individual who nonetheless occupied a structural role in medieval society. Her framework challenges traditional historical narratives by positioning the sex trade as an integral part of the medieval urban landscape rather than a peripheral phenomenon.

Historians and scholars of gender studies frequently cite this text as a foundational resource for understanding the intersection of social marginalization and institutional necessity in the Middle Ages. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of the complex social dynamics surrounding medieval sexuality.