Gender Roles in "Beowulf" and "Confessions"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the depiction of gender roles in "Beowulf" and by St. Augustine in his "Confessions." The paper argues that pagan gender roles as described in "Beowulf" were different than those prescribed by St. Augustine in his "Confessions," demonstrating that Christian beliefs may have eliminated the "warrior-woman" of ancient times, leaving only the submissive role as a model for women to follow. The paper contains notes about the translation of "Beowulf" at the end.

From the Paper:

"After six months in Cassiacum, Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist in Milan. Then he and his mother started out on a trip to Africa, stopping at Civita Vecchia and at Ostia, where death claimed Monica. Mourning for his mother, Augustine penned the finest pages of his Confessions. Monica was a good mother, but Augustine regretted that, as a young man, he did not follow her example of Christian faith. However, Augustine credited Monica with planting the seeds of faith in his heart. He called his conversion a return to the faith she had instilled in him as a child. "So be fulfilled what my mother desired of me--more richly in the prayers of so many gained for her through these confessions of mine than by my prayers alone" (Confessions, Book IX.13.37)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Middle Ages: Summary." The Norton Anthology of English Literature, retrieved June 6, 2007 from http://www2.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/middleages/review/summary.htm#3
• "Yeager, Robert F. Why Read Beowulf?" Humanities, March/April 1999, Volume 20/Number 2 Retrieved June 6, 2007 from http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1999-03/yeager.html.
• Alfano, Christine. "The Issue of Feminine Monstrosity: A Reevaluation of Grendel's Mother." Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Vol. 23, 1992. Article 1. http://repositories.cdlib.org/cmrs/comitatus/vol23/iss1/art1
• Damico, Helen. Beowulf's Wealhtheow and the Valkyrie Tradition. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984.
• Hill, John M. The Anglo-Saxon Warrior Ethic: Reconstructing Lordship in Early English Literature. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 2000.

More papers on Gender Roles in "Beowulf" and "Confessions":

• Comparison Essay # 133416 : "Gender Roles in Greek and Roman Cultures"
• Research Paper # 93319 : "Gender Roles in Morocco and Algeria"
• Essay # 46501 : "Gender Roles in Christianity and Judaism"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: