"Ladyes, damesels, and jantilwomen": female autonomy and authority in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur

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dc.contributor.advisorKing, Andrewen
dc.contributor.advisorRooney, Kennethen
dc.contributor.authorMoloney, Karen Christine
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-04T12:36:59Z
dc.date.available2015-09-04T12:36:59Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.date.submitted2014
dc.description.abstractPopular medieval English romances were composed and received within the social consciousness of a distinctly patriarchal culture. This study examines the way in which the dynamic of these texts is significantly influenced by the consequences of female endeavour, in the context of an autonomous feminine presence in both the real and imagined worlds of medieval England, and the authority with which this is presented in various narratives, with a particular focus on Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur. Chapter One of this study establishes the social and economic positioning of the female in fifteenth-century England, and her capacity for literary engagement; I will then apply this model of female autonomy and authority to a wider discussion of texts contemporary with Malory in Chapters Two and Three, in anticipation of a more detailed study of Le Morte Darthur in Chapters Four and Five. My research explores the female presence and influence in these texts according to certain types: namely the lover, the victim, the ruler, and the temptress. In the case of Malory, the crux of my observations centres on the paradox of the capacity for power in perceived vulnerability, incorporating the presentation of women in this patriarchal culture as being vulnerable and in need of protection, while simultaneously acting as a significant threat to chivalric society by manipulating this apparent fragility, to the detriment of the chivalric knight. In this sense, women can be perceived as being an architect of the romance world, while simultaneously acting as its saboteur. In essence, this study offers an innovative interpretation of female autonomy and authority in medieval romance, presenting an exploration of the physical, intellectual, and emotional placement of women in both the historical and literary worlds of fifteenth-century England, while examining the implications of female conduct on Malory’s Arthurian society.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMoloney, K. C. 2014. "Ladyes, damesels, and jantilwomen": female autonomy and authority in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.endpage323
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/1967
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2014, Karen C. Moloney.en
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/en
dc.subjectMiddle English literatureen
dc.subjectSir Thomas Maloryen
dc.subjectLe Morte Darthuren
dc.subjectFemale tradition in medieval romanceen
dc.subjectMedieval English romanceen
dc.subjectFeminine influenceen
dc.subjectWomenen
dc.subjectFifteenth centuryen
dc.subjectGuinevereen
dc.subjectMorgan le Fayen
dc.subjectNenyveen
dc.subjectFemale authorityen
dc.subjectWilliam Caxtonen
dc.subjectKnights of the Round Tableen
dc.subjectChivalric cultureen
dc.subjectArthurian studiesen
dc.thesis.opt-outfalse
dc.title"Ladyes, damesels, and jantilwomen": female autonomy and authority in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthuren
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD (Arts)en
ucc.workflow.supervisork.rooney@ucc.ie
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