Dr. Jenny Nuttall’s Mother Tongue really influenced me there, it’s too funny! 🤣 Thank you for spending time with my words, and these phenomenal women!!!! 💜
It is still common for women to be the ones advising men on intellectual matters, politics, and making important business decisions (mothers, wives, sisters). They never get recognition and only a rare few are highlighted as famous figures making contributions to society🙏
It is intriguing how the records of these amazing women and their achievements have actually (though I know the acts of cultural archaeology involved will have been immense) survived to the extent they have. Did things (by which I mean misogyny) get worse after the 12th, 13th centuries? It feels like they did. Obviously those times were oppressive in so many horrible ways, many of them specific to attitudes towards women. But many of those women seemed to have gained a kind of respect their 19th and 20th century heirs were barred from in their own lifetimes. Though it’s admittedly very foolish to generalise, even in a very tentative way.
Gabriel, I've been meaning to get back to you here for a few days--I have so much to say on this topic and I absolutely think you are on to something. We know there was a stratification between genders in the Middle Ages, but I think that so much of the layered-on misogynistic takes have been done anachronistically. I specifically studied English history and literature in school, so I'm going to focus in there as it is what I know--but in Henry VIII's time, there was a resurgence of interest in history and literature from Edward IV's era--the most recent Arthurian era. Then again a big spike in interest during the Victorian period and again in the early-mid 20th century. All heavily patriarchal (and densely layered with misogyny) eras--how much of the sexism of the time of writing was imposed onto the women's stories of the past and the assumption that men held the same (or more) levels of contempt towards women. I think about this so much, especially as I work on my book because it's actually a theme in the entire thing!
Thank you for adding your voice here and thinking through this, I so love this thought--I'd even say my entire substack is based on a version of this very idea. Thank you for spending time with my words, you are appreciated!
(Blushes and hides in corner) Thank you for that. I’ve just finished (up Arthur and the Grail post) Von Eschenbach’s Parzival and while men and women have sharply gendered roles, the “lustrous ladies” (Von’s term, not mine!) are very much not placeholders (though as a feminist, Von’s rather closer to Steve Tyler than bell hooks)
This is a wonderfully rich piece of research and writing. In particular, I love the way you've characterized Julian of Norwich for her example of how a woman can write herself into the narrative, moving from "object in a patriarchal world to subject of her own creation, becoming genderless in her own spirituality.” This is the challenge women still face!
Thank you so, so much for this note, it means a lot. I was so blown away during the research for this, how so many woman were writing in the vernacular—I imagine side eyes at the sometimes pretentious Latin. Thank you so much for uplifting!!
I love all of this so much--especially the fire of these women burning bright despite the myths of "first" and "only" and every other epithet and erasure that is always applied to women. Brava my friend! ❤️🔥
Thank you!! When I read Putnam’s explanation for calling her such, my heart dropped. How dare he minimize Marguerite in such a way, but I guess I’m also not really shocked. 😭💜💜💜
Thank you for compiling this great list. I have bookmarked it to come back to with the intention of using it as a pointer to find out more about some of these fascinating women...
That line in particular HURT. "No other woman?!?!" I was flabbergasted. To overlook all of those incredible women seems so intentional, but we also possess so much more woman-centric history now. I can't imagine what some of the sources read like then.
“This is yet another patriarchal phallusy” gave me a good laugh. Great piece as always!
Dr. Jenny Nuttall’s Mother Tongue really influenced me there, it’s too funny! 🤣 Thank you for spending time with my words, and these phenomenal women!!!! 💜
It is still common for women to be the ones advising men on intellectual matters, politics, and making important business decisions (mothers, wives, sisters). They never get recognition and only a rare few are highlighted as famous figures making contributions to society🙏
Absolutely spot-on! Thank you for adding that here, right you are!!! The invisible mental work women have always done is so under-appreciated.
It is intriguing how the records of these amazing women and their achievements have actually (though I know the acts of cultural archaeology involved will have been immense) survived to the extent they have. Did things (by which I mean misogyny) get worse after the 12th, 13th centuries? It feels like they did. Obviously those times were oppressive in so many horrible ways, many of them specific to attitudes towards women. But many of those women seemed to have gained a kind of respect their 19th and 20th century heirs were barred from in their own lifetimes. Though it’s admittedly very foolish to generalise, even in a very tentative way.
Gabriel, I've been meaning to get back to you here for a few days--I have so much to say on this topic and I absolutely think you are on to something. We know there was a stratification between genders in the Middle Ages, but I think that so much of the layered-on misogynistic takes have been done anachronistically. I specifically studied English history and literature in school, so I'm going to focus in there as it is what I know--but in Henry VIII's time, there was a resurgence of interest in history and literature from Edward IV's era--the most recent Arthurian era. Then again a big spike in interest during the Victorian period and again in the early-mid 20th century. All heavily patriarchal (and densely layered with misogyny) eras--how much of the sexism of the time of writing was imposed onto the women's stories of the past and the assumption that men held the same (or more) levels of contempt towards women. I think about this so much, especially as I work on my book because it's actually a theme in the entire thing!
Thank you for adding your voice here and thinking through this, I so love this thought--I'd even say my entire substack is based on a version of this very idea. Thank you for spending time with my words, you are appreciated!
(Blushes and hides in corner) Thank you for that. I’ve just finished (up Arthur and the Grail post) Von Eschenbach’s Parzival and while men and women have sharply gendered roles, the “lustrous ladies” (Von’s term, not mine!) are very much not placeholders (though as a feminist, Von’s rather closer to Steve Tyler than bell hooks)
This is a wonderfully rich piece of research and writing. In particular, I love the way you've characterized Julian of Norwich for her example of how a woman can write herself into the narrative, moving from "object in a patriarchal world to subject of her own creation, becoming genderless in her own spirituality.” This is the challenge women still face!
Thank you so, so much for this note, it means a lot. I was so blown away during the research for this, how so many woman were writing in the vernacular—I imagine side eyes at the sometimes pretentious Latin. Thank you so much for uplifting!!
literally amazing. thanks for writing this!
Thank you for reading it and spending your precious time here!! 💜💜💜
I love all of this so much--especially the fire of these women burning bright despite the myths of "first" and "only" and every other epithet and erasure that is always applied to women. Brava my friend! ❤️🔥
Thank you!! When I read Putnam’s explanation for calling her such, my heart dropped. How dare he minimize Marguerite in such a way, but I guess I’m also not really shocked. 😭💜💜💜
Thank you for compiling this great list. I have bookmarked it to come back to with the intention of using it as a pointer to find out more about some of these fascinating women...
That line in particular HURT. "No other woman?!?!" I was flabbergasted. To overlook all of those incredible women seems so intentional, but we also possess so much more woman-centric history now. I can't imagine what some of the sources read like then.