Tiamat,
Eve, and Pandora, three iconic female figures, all have one thing in common
regardless of their distinctive origins: being portrayed in a negative light,
essentially evil in some way. Although such a viewpoint of women, in varying
degrees, has been taken up throughout history, there are moments in which patriarchy
itself endorses a different version of women. If for instance, Tiamat, Eve or
Pandora had been depicted within the courtly love tradition that arose in the
Middle Ages, their stories and images may have been very different indeed. Courtly
love literature emphasized the ideal of a chivalrous knight, a loyal and doting
admirer who does everything in his power to both pursue and “win” a lady’s love
(Wiesner-Hanks, 23). In this way, women were placed on a pedestal, honored for
being “pure and virtuous” (Wiesner-Hanks, 23). Therefore, at the least, the
courtly love tradition disrupted patterns of description, as women were
attributed positive characteristics. In addition, such ideas were conveyed
through culture, making them widespread, although we cannot assume widely put
into practice. In fact, the literature’s ideal may not have held up in reality.
For example, writers even published “cynical satires mocking chivalric
conventions and bitterly criticizing women” towards the end of courtly love
tradition’s heyday (Wiesner-Hanks, 23-24). Thus, the medium through which views
on women appeared to improve actually was utilized to the very opposite aim.
Such satires reveal an underlying distinction to the literature overall: it was
reaching for an ideal, not exactly pushing for a lasting change in opinion.
However, it did importantly, for the most part, give a different and persuasive
story of women, offsetting the negative versions that had come before.
Wiesner-Hanks,
Merry E. Women and Gender in Early Modern
Europe. New York: Cambridge. University Press, 2008.
In
this portrayal of courtly love, one can see the chivalry-like principles
espoused in courtly love literature in relation to women. The knight is
kneeling before the woman who is literally raised above him, receiving his adoration.
Image:
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl513/courtly/images.htm
2 comments:
Sadie,
You claim that in the courtly love tradition women received more positive characteristics. While this in itself could be true compared with the ancient societies. Can these attributes be truly considered useful? Being pure and virtuous merely subjected women to a lower standard once more because they needed to protect their purity from the "ravages" of men. Even in the case of abuse or rape these women "lost" their honor, yet could they have truly prevented these actions? While these attributes are positive they are heavily male centered ideas, like the concept of virginity itself. It's an idea created by the patriarchy that determines a woman's worth based on whether she had preserved her "maiden-head" for her husband, yet the concept of male virginity is never given the same stress or even value. Contemporary sources may disagree on the concept of male virginity, but for those in the earlier periods the only reason it would be wrong is based instead on religion and the prevention of adultery. Not that a man must "preserve" himself for his future wife. Just something to keep in mind.
I agree that the courtly love view of women, in setting a standard of purity, presented another way in which men could again label women in negative ways if they did not or were, in the case of rape, not able to behave in accordance with the standard. However, I was mainly attempting to demonstrate that the literature was not out rightly condemning of women, even if in reality, most men’s behavior probably did not reflect a new or chivalrous attitude. The main significance is in the fact that a different take on women came into existence; its existence shows the malleability of patriarchy and thus, at times, fallibility of it. Also, although it conveyed male centered ideas, there is evidence of women participating in the production of the literature, according to Hanks. In total, I agree that the courtly love view has its issues as well. Thanks for your discussion of virginity too; I hadn’t thought of it and I will keep it in mind.
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