Medieval Misogyny and the Invention of Western Romantic LoveUniversity of Chicago Press, Feb 15, 2009 - 308 pages Until now the advent of Western romantic love has been seen as a liberation from—or antidote to—ten centuries of misogyny. In this major contribution to gender studies, R. Howard Bloch demonstrates how similar the ubiquitous antifeminism of medieval times and the romantic idealization of woman actually are. Through analyses of a broad range of patristic and medieval texts, Bloch explores the Christian construction of gender in which the flesh is feminized, the feminine is aestheticized, and aesthetics are condemned in theological terms. Tracing the underlying theme of virginity from the Church Fathers to the courtly poets, Bloch establishes the continuity between early Christian antifeminism and the idealization of woman that emerged in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In conclusion he explains the likely social, economic, and legal causes for the seeming inversion of the terms of misogyny into those of an idealizing tradition of love that exists alongside its earlier avatar until the current era. This startling study will be of great value to students of medieval literature as well as to historians of culture and gender. |
From inside the book
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Page 3
... by wishing that it were not so . To that end the present essay is an attempt to say to all those responsible for the particular articulation of antifeminism under which our culture still labors — to Tertullian , Jerome INTRODUCTION 3.
... by wishing that it were not so . To that end the present essay is an attempt to say to all those responsible for the particular articulation of antifeminism under which our culture still labors — to Tertullian , Jerome INTRODUCTION 3.
Page 4
R. Howard Bloch. which our culture still labors — to Tertullian , Jerome , Chrysostom , Ambrose , Augustine , Gregory of Nyssa , Novatian , Methodius , Clement of Rome , and Clement of Alexandria , as well as their intellectual and ...
R. Howard Bloch. which our culture still labors — to Tertullian , Jerome , Chrysostom , Ambrose , Augustine , Gregory of Nyssa , Novatian , Methodius , Clement of Rome , and Clement of Alexandria , as well as their intellectual and ...
Page 9
... Jerome calls " life's little idle shows " ; and ( 3 ) the theologizing of esthetics , or the condemnation in ontological terms not only of the realm of simulation or representations , of " all that is plastered on " in Tertullian's ...
... Jerome calls " life's little idle shows " ; and ( 3 ) the theologizing of esthetics , or the condemnation in ontological terms not only of the realm of simulation or representations , of " all that is plastered on " in Tertullian's ...
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Contents
1 | |
ONE Molestiae Nuptiarum and the Yahwist Creation | 13 |
TWO Early Christianity and the Estheticization of Gender | 37 |
THREE Devils Gateway and Bride of Christ | 65 |
FOUR The Poetics of Virginity | 93 |
FIVE The Old French Lay and the Myriad Modes of Male Indiscretion | 113 |
Other editions - View all
Medieval Misogyny and the Invention of Western Romantic Love R. Howard Bloch No preview available - 1992 |
Common terms and phrases
according Adam amor Andreas Capellanus antifeminism antifeminist Art of Courtly ascetic asceticism Augustine beautiful Bernart bien Body and Society BRIDE OF CHRIST century chapter Chastelaine de Vergi chastity Chaucer church fathers cited courtly love culture Dame daughter death desire Devil's gateway discourse of misogyny dowry droit Duby early Christian example fabliau female feminine feminism femme flesh Fontevrault Guigemar husband Ibid ideal Ignauré implies Jaufré Rudel Jean Jerome John Chrysostom knight lady language Lanval Laüstic literary literature logic lover lyric Marie de France marriage medieval Middle Ages misogynistic misogyny mother nature paradox Paris patristic Physician's Tale poet poetic Poitou POWER OF WOMEN Press question relation rhetoric Robert d'Arbrissel Roman romantic love Rougemont seen sense sexual social song speak synonymous Tertullian tion topos tradition trans troubadour University virginity wife William IX woman WOMEN TO DISPOSE words writes Yahwist