Hah! Good stuff Eleanor and seriously witty! Saw it on the box the other day. However, one gripe; women in Medieval Europe wielded considerable power, especially over the body via medicine and female sexuality, no wonder the men freaked out. Note too that Catholic priests wore DRESSES and pretty ones too, with lots of lace. It was the 17th century, the Iron Century, that saw the power of women curtailed, abortion outlawed, contraception outlawed (midwives were banned) and no coincidence, it's the century where Capitalism and wage labour becomes the major force. An excellent book on the subject is Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch, women, the body and primitive accumulation' which is ostensibly about Witchcraft but it's really about patriarchy and the rise of capitalism and how the two are inextricably intertwined,
Morning, William! Thanks for your comment! The truth is that *some* medieval women wielded *some* power. Queens and other upper aristocrats definitely had some power, particularly as governmental intercessors and advocates. Widows had the most power, socio-economically speaking, by far. You're right that midwives certainly did wield much more power than most other women, particularly regarding the female body itself, though that power became increasingly circumscribed toward the end of the MIddle Ages--there are cases of medieval midwives being accused of witchcraft as early as the 14th century. It's funny, I almost mentioned Federici's book in my post, and then decided it was too far down the rabbit hole. I LOVE that book--any other readers who want their minds absolutely and completely blown about the idea and category of "the witch" should read it immediately. But the average medieval woman--who was probably illiterate and struggling to survive--was not particularly empowered, and especially not in the socioeconomic sphere. And hugely not in her marriage. One of the more depressing things one can do is read about instances of domestic violence in the Middle Ages: it was rampant, and there was no recourse for abuse victims. In terms of public-facing power, there are always exceptions--Margery Kempe is a fascinating historical figure, as is Julian of Norwich (both in England). In fact, the history of medieval mysticism, while not *dominated* by women is certainly hugely shaped by the participation of women. The sad truth is that *most* of history has been kind of a raw deal if you were born a woman! And it's also definitely true that the rise and consolidation of industrial capitalism was, like, *real* bad for women.
But yes, most peasants had a raw deal in the Middle Ages, tho' Federici had a slightly different take on things and not exactly 'fashionable', especially amongst unreconstructed Marxists. What I like about your deconstructions is firstly, your acid humour and that you uncover stuff without being pretentious, it's so easy to sound like 'Cahiers du Cinema' and waffle. I mean, let's face it, '50 foot woman' is an awful movie but that's what makes it so interesting, it's like 1950s US automobiles, also pretty awful but they tell us so much about US culture.
Oh my gosh! Thank you for sending the link to your review--I'll read it this weekend with great interest. And yes, 50FW is definitely a bottom quartile film in terms of quality. But I tell you, my jaw hit the floor--with delight--when I saw the medieval alien.
Hah! Good stuff Eleanor and seriously witty! Saw it on the box the other day. However, one gripe; women in Medieval Europe wielded considerable power, especially over the body via medicine and female sexuality, no wonder the men freaked out. Note too that Catholic priests wore DRESSES and pretty ones too, with lots of lace. It was the 17th century, the Iron Century, that saw the power of women curtailed, abortion outlawed, contraception outlawed (midwives were banned) and no coincidence, it's the century where Capitalism and wage labour becomes the major force. An excellent book on the subject is Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch, women, the body and primitive accumulation' which is ostensibly about Witchcraft but it's really about patriarchy and the rise of capitalism and how the two are inextricably intertwined,
Morning, William! Thanks for your comment! The truth is that *some* medieval women wielded *some* power. Queens and other upper aristocrats definitely had some power, particularly as governmental intercessors and advocates. Widows had the most power, socio-economically speaking, by far. You're right that midwives certainly did wield much more power than most other women, particularly regarding the female body itself, though that power became increasingly circumscribed toward the end of the MIddle Ages--there are cases of medieval midwives being accused of witchcraft as early as the 14th century. It's funny, I almost mentioned Federici's book in my post, and then decided it was too far down the rabbit hole. I LOVE that book--any other readers who want their minds absolutely and completely blown about the idea and category of "the witch" should read it immediately. But the average medieval woman--who was probably illiterate and struggling to survive--was not particularly empowered, and especially not in the socioeconomic sphere. And hugely not in her marriage. One of the more depressing things one can do is read about instances of domestic violence in the Middle Ages: it was rampant, and there was no recourse for abuse victims. In terms of public-facing power, there are always exceptions--Margery Kempe is a fascinating historical figure, as is Julian of Norwich (both in England). In fact, the history of medieval mysticism, while not *dominated* by women is certainly hugely shaped by the participation of women. The sad truth is that *most* of history has been kind of a raw deal if you were born a woman! And it's also definitely true that the rise and consolidation of industrial capitalism was, like, *real* bad for women.
I kinda figured you'd read 'Caliban'. I wrote a review of it here:
https://investigatingimperialism.wordpress.com/2005/03/18/book-review-cant-see-the-wood-for-the-trees-by-william-bowles/
But yes, most peasants had a raw deal in the Middle Ages, tho' Federici had a slightly different take on things and not exactly 'fashionable', especially amongst unreconstructed Marxists. What I like about your deconstructions is firstly, your acid humour and that you uncover stuff without being pretentious, it's so easy to sound like 'Cahiers du Cinema' and waffle. I mean, let's face it, '50 foot woman' is an awful movie but that's what makes it so interesting, it's like 1950s US automobiles, also pretty awful but they tell us so much about US culture.
Oh my gosh! Thank you for sending the link to your review--I'll read it this weekend with great interest. And yes, 50FW is definitely a bottom quartile film in terms of quality. But I tell you, my jaw hit the floor--with delight--when I saw the medieval alien.