Renaissance Literature

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the tale of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kemp, referred to as Shakespeare's sister. It explores how Woolf in "A Room of One's Own" relates to the status of women and the barriers they faced due to the stereotypes of gender in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

From the Paper:

"Julian's beliefs about women during the Middle Ages are mixed. In her study of medieval gender constructions, Fragmentation and Redemption: Essays on Gender and the Human Body in Medieval Religion, Bynum concludes that medieval theory acknowledged the "permeability or interchangeability of the sexes," although "the male body is paradigmatic," and even Julian of Norwich, for whom Christ was Mother, still consistently referred to him with the male pronoun (220-22). On the other hand, Robertson suggests that the physicality of Julian's language presents the redemptive possibilities for femininity and emphasizes the sensuality of Christ. Thus it is the "feminized body of Christ" that "redeems the sensual" (156). Further, Robertson believes that Julian was a subtle strategist who sought to undo assumptions about women and to provide a different concept of femininity through contemplation of Christ's "feminine" attributes."

More papers on Renaissance Literature:

• Analytical Essay # 126607 : "Renaissance Literature and Women"
• Analytical Essay # 41748 : "Medieval and Renaissance Literature"
• Term Paper # 98220 : "The Patronage System and Renaissance Literature"
• Essay # 46862 : "Renaissance Literature"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: