Medieval Misogyny and the Invention of Western Romantic LoveUntil 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
... poets and from all the orators . writes the apologist for women in the Quarrel of the Romance of the Rose , " it seems that they all speak from one and the same mouth . " 5 But , more important , alongside the monot- onous persistence ...
... poets and from all the orators . writes the apologist for women in the Quarrel of the Romance of the Rose , " it seems that they all speak from one and the same mouth . " 5 But , more important , alongside the monot- onous persistence ...
Page 7
... poetic types . 17 Examples are to be found in classical Latin satire and in the satires of the High Middle Ages - John of Salisbury's Policraticus , Walter Map's De nugis curialium ( especially the Letter of Valerius to Rufinum ) ...
... poetic types . 17 Examples are to be found in classical Latin satire and in the satires of the High Middle Ages - John of Salisbury's Policraticus , Walter Map's De nugis curialium ( especially the Letter of Valerius to Rufinum ) ...
Page 8
... poetic interpretation and that of woman in a sexual / textual scenario , that would last through the medieval period into the neoclassical age ( see chapter 2 ) . Further , as we shall see in chapters 5-7 , even those types which histor ...
... poetic interpretation and that of woman in a sexual / textual scenario , that would last through the medieval period into the neoclassical age ( see chapter 2 ) . Further , as we shall see in chapters 5-7 , even those types which histor ...
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Page 18
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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