Disempowered Women? A Feminist Response to female Characters in Malory,
Tennyson and Bradley takes an in-depth look at Elayne, Gwenyvere and Morgan of
the Arthurian legend. The characters are examined within their contemporary context
and from our modem perspective as portrayed in Malory, Tennyson, and Marion
Zimmer Bradley. Patriarchy, closely connected with the Christian doctrines, is
singled out as the main means of propagating women's disempowerment. The
inquiry considers different ways in which fictional texts have contributed to creating
false perceptions amongst our contemporary audience, about the reality of women's
lives in the Middle Ages. It further examines the validity of the assumption that
literary women are not real, but mere representations of male ideals about women's
role and place in society. Issues of gender equality are raised and the author
concludes that the literature studied assigns definite, gender-specific roles to men and
women. The work also debates the perceived misogyny of the male authors: is it a
conscious act or a reflection of their contemporary society's concerns? / English Studies / M. A. (English)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:umkn-dsp01.int.unisa.ac.za:10500/1127 |
| Date | 01 January 2002 |
| Creators | Reid, Zofia Tatiana |
| Contributors | Levey, David |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (78 pages) |
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