Women in the Medieval Manuals of Religious Instruction and John Gower's "Confessio Amantis."
- Author/Editor
- Burke,Linda Barney.
- Title
- Women in the Medieval Manuals of Religious Instruction and John Gower's "Confessio Amantis."
- Published
- Burke, Linda Barney. Women in the Medieval Manuals of Religious Instruction and John Gower's "Confessio Amantis." Ph.D. Diss. Columbia University. Dissertation Abstracts International 42.12 (1982): 5114A.
- Review
- "The Introduction begins by taking note of John Gower's unusually sympathetic attitude toward women in the 'Confessio Amantis.' It poses the question: was Gower unique in taking such a favorable approach to women, or does he belong to a profeminist current in the didactic literature of the later Middle Ages? The dissertation proposes to focus on one group of texts which were certainly known to Gower, i.e., the popular manuals of religious instruction, particularly Frere Laurent's 'Somme le Roi' and its derivatives. Chapter Two examines the attitude toward women in the religious manuals, with the purpose of discovering whether these treatises contributed to the sexual attitudes of the 'Confessio Amantis.' It is determined that the approach to women in the manuals is very sympathetic. Women are directly addressed as the fellow Christians and spiritual equals of men; the devout soul is regarded as feminine, and feminine traits are presented as admirable qualities of the Christian life; the Virgin Mary is explicitly described as the most exemplary human being who ever lived, and other examples of good women receive respectful attention; matrimony and marital sex are held in great esteem, and ascetic disgust for the body is held at a minimum. Although the existence of bad women is recognized by the manuals, these characters are regarded as examples of sins to avoid and not as typical representatives of women as a class. Chapter Three examines the approach to women in the 'Confessio Amantis' and determines that it has been extensively influenced by the mutual tradition. For every sympathetic view of women in the manuals, significant parallels are discovered in the Confessio.' In addition, the chapter presents extended analyses of four Gowerian short stories, showing in each case how the poet made skillful use of various sources and presented a more favorable view of women than any source. Chapter Four continues by examining one of the finest stories in the 'Confessio,' 'The Tale of King, Wine, Woman, and Truth.' Chapter Five concludes that there is indeed a profeminist current in the didactic lieterature of the later Middle Ages as represented by the manuals and Gower, and it proposes suggestions for further research." [eJGN 39.1]
- Date
- 1982
- Gower Subjects
- Confessio Amantis