Analysis Of Isabella Whitney's I. W. To Her Unconstant Lover

    The Wife of Bath's extraordinary prologue gives the reader a dose of what is sometimes missing in early male-written literature: glimpses of female subjectivity. Women in medieval literature are often silent and passive, to the extent that cuckolding is often seen as something one man (the adulterer) does to another (the husband). Eve Sedgwick argues in Between Men that in many literary representations, women are playing pieces or playing fields in struggles between male players. By default it seems, male writers cannot help but create shallow constructions of women; heroism occurs in male spheres of activity, while the wives and daughters make the background, and

Prior to and throughout the late middle ages, women have been portrayed in literature as vile and corrupt. During this time, Christine de Pizan became a well educated woman and counteracted the previous notions of men’s slander against women. With her literary works, Pizan illustrated to her readers and women that though education they can aspire to be something greater than what is written in history. Through the use of real historical examples, Christine de Pizan’s, The Book of the City of Ladies, acts as a defense against the commonly perceived notions of women as immoral.

“Lanval” by Marie de France and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer are both medieval romances that put a knight on trial by a queen’s court for his treatment of a lady. Throughout the course of this paper, readers will get the opportunity to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and that during the twelfth-century women were superior to men, specifically in their relationships and marriages; however, today men dominant individuals, especially in working world.

All through Canterbury Tales, women are dealt with as objects in everyday life. In the “Miller’s Tale,” an old man marries a younger, attractive women for her looks. In the “Wife of Bath’s Tale,” a virgin woman has her virginity and innocence taken from her by what is suppose to be a noble and honorable knight and when his punishment is later to marry an older, less attractive women, all respect for his newly wife vanishes. A woman’s level of recognition in Canterbury Tales are through her class in society, whether she is young and beautiful, or old and disgusting, and her degree of experience in life. Women are not desired for their intelligence, wisdom and capabilities which might of kept a relationship deceitful-free. The “Wife of

Elizabeth’s strength, independence, and her intense willpower to assure that her marriage is coordinated only by love demonstrate the feminist portrayal of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s desire for

In Anne’s Elegy, “In Honour of that High and Mighty Princess, Queen ELIZABETH”, the narrator takes the role of a woman “who identifies with a feminist view of the wrongs done to women.” (Rosenmeier, 44) Through a posthumous celebration of the Queen and her accomplishments, the speaker argues of women’s worth beyond simple housework and child-rearing. The speaker argues that Elizabeth’s triumphs in war and diplomacy are “argument enough to make” naysayers “mute” (Poem, 18). To further her statement, the speaker reminds us that to “say our sex is void of reason” was once punishable by death (Poem, 81). “It is not too much to suggest that in the prospect of Eliza 's return lies the implicit promise that this poor, loyal, simple speaker will be restored to wholeness and power.” (Rosenmeier, 45) It is entirely possible for a Christian Queen to “play the Rex” (Poem, 12). If a woman can rule over men justly and have the kingdom prosper, anything is possible. (Gordon, 194) This includes a Godly Puritan woman writing poetry and being successful among male poets

In Marguerite de Navarre's work The Heptameron, ten travelers share stories with each other while taking refuge in a monastery. Inspired by the work of Boccaccio, Marguerite’s work closely parallels the structure of The Decameron, but with three significant departures: within the group of travelers there is equal representation between men and women, the travelers promise each other to tell only true stories, and the travelers comment on the ethical ramifications of each story that is shared. Through these three stylistic departures from the traditional frame tale, Marguerite is able to challenge her audience with a distinctly proto-feminist dialogue. Because of her proto-feminist ideas, Marguerite and her self-inspired character Parlamente act as what Lewis Hyde would call a trickster, for as Hyde notes, “every group has its edge, its sense of in and out, and trickster is always there.” Within the context of gender roles and sexuality in Medieval European society, Marguerite is pushing against the edge of what is considered acceptable by casting an eye on the hypocrisy of her contemporary society’s view of adultery, making her a boundary crosser through her authorship. Specifically, by analyzing the consequences of adultery for men as opposed to the consequences for women, Marguerite’s trickster nature is revealed through her proto-feminist narrative as she points out the hypocrisy of traditional gender norms in regards to adultery.

Presenting literature to the public that is meant to be a commentary on social or political issues, masked under the guise of entertaining and fictional, is a tool implemented by authors and activists for centuries. While not all satire is as overt as Jonathan Swift’s suggestion that we eat the babies, it does not diminish the eyebrow raising suggestions that are conveyed once the meaning has been discovered. In Aphra Behn’s The History of the Nun and Eliza Haywood’s Fantomina, the established expectations of the female role within society are brought into question then directly rejected. These expectations establish that women should be deferential to men, morally unblemished, and virtuous at all times. Men, however, are not held to these expectations in the same way. The masculine roles assumed by Isabella and Fantomina demonstrate a private rebellion against the established patriarchal society as it warns against the under-estimation of women and proves that women exist independently.

3)depicts that Female derives from the word “Famina” which meant “lacking in faith” (Roberts, p.4) therefore, depicting women as feebler in both mind and body towards the temptation that the devil put forward, which was labelled as “carnal lust” , creating a legitimized reason to find suspicion in every woman and therefore resulting in legitimized massacre.(Roberts, p.5)

Phaedras claims, similarly to modern poets that love will drive one to the brink or even over the edge of death. It is hardly surprising, then, to find a similar image again in the poetry of Theognis, ?Boy, as long as your cheek is smooth, I?ll never / stop praising you, not even if I have to die.? (Theognis, 1327-1334) On the inclusion of women, however, Theognis disagrees with

Before the rise of what is known today as feminism, Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” introduces an unorthodox character whom many women find relatable. The Wife embodies just about every female stereotype created, wherein her character is greatly exaggerated. Although the Wife of Bath breaks the traditional role of a submissive and obedient wife, her character illustrates and represents the stereotypes and criticisms commonly thrown at women. Seen as a representation of all women, the Wife of Bath’s deceptive and scheming nature hints at the stereotype that all women are untrustworthy. Her frank attitude and carefree acknowledgement of past deceit harbors no hint of remorse; she relishes recounting her past endeavors, reciting her despicable deeds as if they were any other fact.

An unlikely candidate to dispute the unfair, misogynistic treatment of women by men and society, Christine de Pizan successfully challenged the accepted negative views that were being expressed about women by the all-male literary world of her era. Part of Christine’s uniqueness stems from the time in which she lived, the middle to late 1300’s. The lack of a positive female role model to pattern herself after made Christine a true visionary in the fight for the equal rights of women. Her original ideas and insight provided a new and more intelligent way to view females. Pizan’s work, The Book of the City of Ladies, provided women much needed guidance in how to survive without the support of a man.

In ancient literature, interactions between women are rare, but when they do occur they help develop the state of a woman, both mentally and emotionally. In studying several examples from ancient texts such as Hippolytus, Troilus and Criseyde, and The City of Ladies, it is evident that positive interactions between women act as a strengthening factor for female characters. Conversely, when a woman shuns her peers and relies on herself or only the men in her life, she becomes weak and isolated.

A dichotomy exists within the play of the corrupt, which represents the majority of women in society, and the virtuous, reflecting a minority of women. Gratiana is considered corrupt after she gave ‘aim to her own daughter!’ (Act IV, Scene iv, l. 41), while the Duchess’s advances on Spurio her step son, give her an ‘incestuous’ and ‘sinful’ (Act III, Scene v) name. In comparison, Gloriana and Antonio’s wife both died to protect their family honour, while Castiza by her own admission, sees the power women possess: ‘If maidens would, men’s words could have no power; A virgin honour is a crystal tower’ (Act IV, Scene iv, ll. 151-152). This rhyming couplet highlights the didactic function of the play for the audience in creating a moral society. By definition, those virtuous characters are ‘chaste’ and ‘morally upright’. In this play, the audience gains a representation of Tourneur’s thoughts on society; that the majority of women are corrupt, however a minority of individuals exist that are virtuous. This dichotomy does not exist to such an extent for men within the play, as Antonio is the only real virtuous man. Because of this inequality, the audience understands Tourneur believes a greater gap exists between corrupt and virtuous women, and therefore women within the play are better suited to demonstrating the concept, reflecting it back on the society they are representing.

The neoclassical time period served to reinvent the notion of how literature was presented within society, working to introduce several crucial concepts that worked to alter individual perception, such as identity, and construct new ways of thinking. One instance of this newfound individualism can be viewed in Defoe’s narrative, The Fortunate Mistress, in which a woman recounts her personal experience and transformation from a virtuous woman to a whore in response to unforeseen and unavoidable situations. Critical interpretations of the narrative have neglected to recognize the significance of how Roxana’s role in society and actions depict her as an archetype for the early feminist individual