Women in Medieval Society

Case Study # 93667

English > Analysis
History > European
Women Studies
Women Studies > Historical Figures
Women Studies > Women and Society

A discussion on the stereotype of women in medieval society.

861 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2006 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper, by looking at primary sources from the time, explores woman, both conventional and unconventional, and their roles in their societies. It compares several female historical figures to the accepted stereotype of women in the middle ages.

From the Paper:

"The concept of respectable, independent womanhood in medieval Europe is a trivialized one. The common view of women can be seen in such readings as "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The average woman of the time would not see much freedom of action if she were not a somewhat well to do widow. However, this does not mean that women with a certain amount of freedom during the Middle Ages were not all bawdy widows. Medieval women could and did gain power in their own right through social status and access to influential men as well as the special few who were able to use their higher learning to their advantage."

Sample of Sources Used:

Medieval Women Writers, Katherine M. Wilson (Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia Press, 1984), 101-102.
Handbook for William, Dhuoda, trans. Carol Neel (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1991) 5.
"Conversion of England", Bede (Medieval Sourcebook: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/bede1.html, Oct. 2, 2006)