CONGRESS CANCELED Ain't Misbehaving: Medieval English Women Doing Good Work by Nefarious Means
Description
This panel explores possibilities provided to medieval authors when female characters seem to act against accepted norms in order to do good. Rules of best behavior for women were often dictated by Christian or social/patriarchal desires, but it is also clear that--likely influenced by what may well have constituted the actual behavior of medieval English women—narratives may require female characters who step well beyond such boundaries through words or actions. Such discrepancies open up meaning for the texts being analyzed while providing insight into gender relations within and beyond their constructed narratives. Alison Langdon
CONGRESS CANCELED Ain't Misbehaving: Medieval English Women Doing Good Work by Nefarious Means
Bernhard 210
This panel explores possibilities provided to medieval authors when female characters seem to act against accepted norms in order to do good. Rules of best behavior for women were often dictated by Christian or social/patriarchal desires, but it is also clear that--likely influenced by what may well have constituted the actual behavior of medieval English women—narratives may require female characters who step well beyond such boundaries through words or actions. Such discrepancies open up meaning for the texts being analyzed while providing insight into gender relations within and beyond their constructed narratives. Alison Langdon