2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
3.Hahn's essay (see critical reader)onThe Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguesit has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
6. What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
ReplyDeleteDuring Renaissance, the appearance of female writers had led to a wide discussion.
According to Revard, the Triumphs of female wit is the beginning of the defending the right of women to compose poetry and “raises the acceptability of a woman pursuing learning and contesting in the domain of poetry that had been almost exclusively male”.
As in a patriarchal society, men mainly valued women for their beauty, virtues and obedience, Katherine Philips and Aphra Behn’s success in writhing had caused the panic from males. Man “fear their empire might decay”, because they thought if they lose in a literary contest, they also lose the right to dominate women in other areas. So they started to use special ways to weaken the female power. For example, as Revard says, to discuss Katherine Phillip success, her beauty and virtue had been considered before her wit; and she was compared with British queen who is a not usual woman and could not be conquered (deify her and so remove her form the competition). Some male writers even Use the Bible to criticize the behaviour of the female writing, or emphasized their natural fecund prerogative to protect their male privilege.
Revard also points out that although Aphra Behn‘s attainments in poetry and novel writing and literary Translation are undisputed, her complement did not exceed Katherine Philips. I guess the reasons could be that they did not want so many female to be famous to catch more attention from public, thereby, more female would “trespass” literary sphere.
From these discussions, it seems that Revard suggests that female should be given positive supports and appreciation of their works. I think, although these female writers are not more famous than 18s and 19s’, when they started to use a pen to describe their own thinking and spirituality, women have realized the significance of their main existence. They no longer are hiding shadows behind the men, they have their own way of thinking. They have their love and hate, and they are more filled with the desire for freedom. This probably can be seen as the beginning of women's humanity consciousness liberation.
Reference:
Revard , S.P., Summers, C.J. & Pebworth, T. (Eds).(1997).Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn and The female Pindaric in representing women in renaissance England. Columbia: University of Missouri Press
The reasons why critics believed that Chaucer, the writer of the wife of Bath’s Tale, on how Alisoun offers a tale of a knight, whom is made submissive, while the crone is always in the position of control. Throughout the story, the fate of the knight is on the hands of women, first the queen, Guenevere and then by the crone. Alisoun seems to show that by giving his spouse a measure of control, was the only way man would find true happiness.
ReplyDeleteThis text was based around a lot more than just the position of the woman, since even the speaker was a woman and the Wife the speaker of her tale. The stance which the writer seems to have gone for is both a public and private form of feminism. In the public stance Chaucer’s approach has been more humane, showing a more positive light, around the culture and institutions surrounding them.
H. Marshall Leicester Jr. Leicester, M., H. (1984): Of a fire in the dark: Public
and private feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale , Women's Studies: An interdisciplinary
journal, 11:1-2, 157-178
Hi Farish, this is a very interesting post.
DeleteYes, the tale’s motif is to indicate that: women desire most is sovereignty over their husbands. Based on this, I think although this is more about how a woman to get more power over her partner, it reflects that women realised that they have a desire of the power. I think this is the very beginning of the feminist.
However, the woman still need to “be given” the power and dominance over her husband by her husband. At the end of the tale, when the old woman gives the knight a choice: ugly and faithful or beautiful but unfaithful. The knight leaves the decision up to her. The old woman rewards him by giving him both. This slot is more like a philosophy of relationships for the husbands: tread wife with a respect and gain more benefits from her. From this point, man is educated to control woman wisely by giving them power over man. Women probably still did not get the equal right as man. Ha ha ha.
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ReplyDeleteWhat does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
ReplyDeleteIt’s a controversial topic that should be women treated as men during Renaissance. Cowley wrote the poems and used Pindaric genres were for Katherine Philips which was the beginning of praising women’s wit. It was very difficulty for a man praises a woman through in a poem, because both of them would be discussed in society. According to Revard(1997), Triumphs of Female Wit was saying women are allowed to desire poetry. In the feudalism period, Revard (1997) mentioned that, in men’ point of view, women should be permitted to ‘learn’ in general, and assessment of her literary achievement, because men would not let themselves loose power to control women and other areas. Revard (1997) also talked about that Behn was the exactly author for the poem of The Rover and the love songs to Lysander because Behn refused a man by stirring about their distance of status in society. Reward actually admire her wit, what she had done not only avoid Burnet’s request, but also revealing his less than “honorable purpose, which was a very clever way to expose her own courtly fashion. Revard (1997) pointed; men considered that women had no status in ode areas, as the success of Philip and Behn, men started worried if they would take place of them in poetry realm, then they compliment women’ beauty and virtue first, then is wit as advantages. However, Cowley argued and retained that women were no longer valued themselves from beauty and virtue, they now was standing up and “conspire to take away the weapon that amorous male poets have used in the battlefield of love to secure themselves against women’s natural advantage”.
In my point of view, Revard (1997) suggested that women could have a place, which supports equal right, and have positive attention for them. Women didn’t need to be a part of men, they could be individual I n society and as seem wit before look at their beauty and virtue.
From my opinion, women were starting moving on to the stage that can show their benefit and advantages to the rest of world as many big effect poem were written by female. They are no longer judged by their appearances, because wit is a most valuable quality of women, which is not seen from point of men.
Reference:
Revard , S.P., Summers, C.J. & Pebworth, T. (Eds).(1997).Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn and The female Pindaric in representing women in renaissance England. Columbia: University of Missouri Press