By turning from the traditional sources of evidence and giving recognition to the importance of the growth of the secular movement during the late 11th and early 12th centuries, Bond is able to observe how increasing autonomy for many regional courts and schools meant a distancing from traditional `christian' theories and practices and the development of new, distinct patterns and codes of dress, behaviour, talk and pleasure. Using figures such as Marbod of Rennes, Baudri of Bourgueil, William of Poitiers and Adela of Blois and the representations found in the Bayeux Tapestry, Bond presents a complex view of the contested reconception of the secular self and its value.