Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index
Home
What is Feminae?
What's Indexed?
Subjects
Broad Topics
Journals
Essays
All Image Records
Contact Feminae
SMFS
Other Resources
Admin (staff only)
There are 45,225 records currently in Feminae
Quick Search
Advanced Search
Article of the Month
Translation of the Month
Image of the Month
Special Features
Record Number:
7956
Author(s)/Creator(s):
Sperberg-McQueen , M. R.
Contributor(s):
Title:
Whose Body Is It? Chaste Strategies and the Reinforcement of Patriarchy in Three Plays by Hrotswitha von Gandersheim ["The Martyrdom of the Holy Virgins Agape, Chione, and Irena," "The Fall and Repentance of Mary, Niece of the Hermit Abraham," and "The Resurrection of Drusiana and of Callimachus"].
Source:
Women in German Yearbook 8, ( 1992): Pages 47 - 71.
Description:
Article Type:
Journal Article
Subject
(See Also)
:
Body
Chastity in Literature
Hagiography
Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim, Dramatist
Latin Literature
Literature- Drama
Patriarchy
Women in Literature
Award Note:
Geographic Area:
Germany
Century:
10
Primary Evidence:
Illustrations:
Table:
Abstract:
Hrotswitha von Gandersheim strove in her plays to present positive models of female virtue. Her success in offering images of women that contrasted with those presented by Terence and by the Church Fathers has attracted considerable attention from critics, some explicitly feminist. While acknowledging Hrotswitha's achievement, this essay is critical of certain aspects of her plays, particularly ones related to character constellations and plot, that reinforce antifeminist, patriarchal values. The author argues that Hrotswitha, indebted to her sources as she was, dramatized narratives that assert male control of women, particularly with respect to the attributes and disposition of their bodies. [Reproduced from Women in German Yearbook 8: Feminist Studies in German Literature and Culture edited by Jeanette Clausen and Sara Friedrichsmeyer by permission of the University Press. © 1993 by the University of Nebraska Press.]
Related Resources:
Author's Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
Conference Info:
- , -
Year of Publication:
1992.
Language:
English
ISSN/ISBN:
10587446