Reversed Roles of Women in Literature

Paper Summary:

The writer presents the view that both of these novels illustrate the cultural conflicts of women's social and economic status. These two literary pieces challenge the stereotypical roles of women by depicting the female characters as heroic, wealthy and experienced in areas outside of the household.

From the Paper:

"To fully understand and appreciate the challenging characteristics in The Wife of Bath, one must acknowledge the traditional and antifeminist writings that dominated literature at that time. The medieval church identified certain characteristics with men and others for women. The rational, intellectual, and more authoritative side of human nature predominated in men while the irrational, material, and sensual side of human nature predominated in women. These beliefs were revealed throughout much of the literature written before and during Chaucer's time. One of the central sources for his work follows that of Jerome's letter Adversus Jovinianum. "

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