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Literature and its impact on society
Literature and its impact on society
Literature and its impact on society
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The achievements and expertise of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen were similar in that both contributed to literature. Although Eleanor of Aquitaine was often up to her knees in political affairs, nevertheless found time to cultivate the arts and patronize literature (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). At the royal court at Poitiers, she dedicated much of her money toward the patronage of all kinds of rising artists in all areas, but she’s best known for promoting the troubadours and romance writers (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). Eleanor herself greatly contributed to the rules of courtly love (Au, p.1), whose key features became humility, courtesy, and adultery (Delahoyde, Courtly Love, p.1), but her main contributions to literature were indirect. …show more content…
The poet-musician troubadours wrote and sang about this kind of love upon her sponsorship (Simpson, 1998, p.1). Romance overtook the martial epics of the Early Middle Ages as the favored literary genre, making books like The Song of Roland a thing of the past (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). Hildegard was a sickly child, who experienced visions with blinding light from 3 years old (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1). At 43 years old, she experienced a vision where God commanded her to write down her visions and share them with the world. She confessed her visions to her spiritual adviser, who persuaded her to write them down (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1). Scivias (Know the Way) was her first visionary work and established her reputation throughout Europe (Noyce, 2013, p.2). Eleanor also enjoyed sponsoring books of history and legend (which were practically inseparable then), mostly in popular genres of Arthurian legend and of Britain, like Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). Not only did she have her poets and authors write about fictitious characters in their stories either; she equally encouraged romances about herself, which has become a problem for biographers to sort out fact from fiction within her life (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). Hildegard also wrote two medical treatises, an encyclopedia on medical properties of herbs, and a catalogue of cures for physical and mental diseases (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1). She also mixed her poetic and musical skills to write liturgical songs meant to accompany the celebration of Catholic Mass. She created the first medieval morality play, which was a musical drama called Ordo Virtutum (Order of the Virtues) (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1). Overall, Eleanor at her Platagenet court in Poitier, and Hildegard in her convent in Rupertsberg, cultivated an artistic revival, proved to be some of the most influential benefactors in the 12th-century Renaissance (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1) (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1), and influenced romantic, historical, religious, and medicinal literature for years to come, in societies all around the world.. Eleanor had the troubadours and romance writers write about courtly love and legend-histories because she personally thought it romantic and a pleasure to read. Hildegard, on the other hand, wrote her visions and liturgical songs by God’s command and to praise His power and glory. She contributed to medical literature to help those around her lead healthier, longer lives. The achievements and expertise of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen were also similar in that both held positions of power—Eleanor in administration, and Hildegard in the Roman Catholic Church. When Eleanor was 15, her father died, and with no living brothers, she became the Duchess of Aquitaine (Au, p.1). She married Louis VII, future king of France, a few months later (Au, p.1). Eleanor rapidly gained power over King Louis, often influencing his decisions. By 1144, Eleanor succeeded in overcoming all rivals to secure her position as her husband’s partner in governing, even over his own mother. This was an anomaly, since the king’s mother usually maintained power over the queen (Goodman, 2013, p.3). Hildegard carried on an extensive correspondence with popes, archbishops, kings, an emperor, and noblemen. People wrote to her not only to ask for advice, but also to ask her prophecies for the future, which were widely respected to be true (Ferrante, 2014, p.2). After her divorce with King Louis, Eleanor married Henry, future King of England, only 6 weeks later (Au, p.1). This was quite unusual, because she chose her husband, unlike most circumstances in the Medieval Era when a woman’s thoughts weren’t usually considered (Goodman, 2013, p.4). While Henry travelled to other countries, Eleanor often served as Regent, proving her competence with politics (Au, p.1). Hildegard, channeling God’s voice, could admonish mankind and the church, could mediate among humans, and inspired both awe and affection in all who knew and worked with her (Ferrante, 2014, p.3). Sometimes, she tried to use her letters to powerful people to get her way, like how she successfully insisted on the right of her convent to a provost of their choice from Disibodenberg, who would also serve as her secretary (Ferrante, 2014, p.3). After Eleanor’s marriage to Henry, she chose to remain as the Duchess of Aquitaine and kept control of her own lands, even going so far as to have a seal created only with titles that were hers in her own right, excluding those gained through marriage. This was even more unusual, since men almost always took control of any property their wife brought into the relationship (Goodman, 2013, pp.4-5). Eleanor amassed her power and influence because she was born into an affluent family and made marriages that moved her up the social ladder. Hildegard, who wasn’t born in a particularly religiously influential family, moved herself up from her “real” visions carrying the word of God and mostly true prophecies that won her respect in the Roman Catholic community. The achievements and expertise of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen were different in that Eleanor of Aquitaine accomplished her goals through scheming means, while Hildegard of Bingen achieved her religious goals through honest means.
While Eleanor was married to King Louis VII, Louis and Eleanor joined the second crusade and met up with Eleanor’s handsome uncle Raymond (Au, p.1). Louis began to notice Eleanor growing closer to Raymond (Au, p.1), so he forced her to go along with him to capture the Holy Land in Jerusalem, fearing an eventual love affair (Au, p.1). After the failed trip to Jerusalem, the pair went back to France, where Eleanor fell out of love with her husband. Even though the pope forbade them from dissolving the marriage (Goodman, 2013, p.3), she still found a way to divorce Louis, announcing that her marriage couldn’t be legal in God’s eyes since they were cousins (Au, p.1). Their marriage was annulled, and all of Eleanor’s property was then returned to her following medieval custom (Au, p.1). Hildegard of Bingen was the complete opposite in terms of how she went about achieving her goals, holding a religious authority’s opinion in the highest respect. Since Hildegard was especially concerned about sharing her visions because she lived in a period when the Church was torn apart by heresy, she didn’t want to do anything to label herself as a heretic (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1). With the permission of the abbot of St. Disibod, Hildegard began to write her vision down (Ferrante, 2014, p.1). Before she published it, it was approved by a papal commission named by Pope Eugene III, at the instigation of her archbishop, Henry of Mainz (Ferrante, 2014, p.1), and with support of Bernard of Clairvaux, who she had written to for advice (Delahoyde, Hildegard of Bingen, p.1). Eleanor always had her eye on the future, and didn’t allow her bad marriage with Louis to hold her back from further political influence. Just 2 months after she
divorced Louis, she married Henry, future King of England (Au, p.1). Even then, Eleanor always seemed to favor her son Richard the Lion-Heart over her own husband, King Henry of England, who she was become frustrated with (Goodman, 2013, p.5). Richard decided to revolt against King Henry (Goodman, 2013, p.5). Eleanor became his biggest supporter and provided military support, turning her back on her own husband (Au, p.2). Although statesman Peter of Blois encouraged her to set the dispute aside as a good wife would, she disregarded him and wholeheartedly supported the rebellion (Goodman, 2013, p.6). After Richard died, Eleanor helped defeat her grandson Arthur of Brittany to give her son John the throne (Au, p.2). Eleanor tended to be more scheming because those around her in the political arena weren’t as open and supportive of her goals that she was determined to achieve, while Hildegard had the opportunity of being honest because her fellow religious figures were more supportive of her and she herself had no desire in accomplishing her goals without authoritative approval.
Marie de France’s “Lanval” is a brilliantly witty and captivating narrative poem—one illustrating a knight’s unyielding honor and loyalty to his king as well as his enduring chivalric devotion to the woman he loves. Written in the twelfth century, amidst a time when women were looked down upon and considered useless and unnecessary, Marie’s portrayal of a knight needing to be rescued by his female lover breathes comic irony into this otherwise misogynistic and antifeminist world. In addition to this cleverly depicted romance, a further literary work, Geoffrey Chaucer’s early fifteenth century “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” extends its own explicitly satirical outlook
Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should be both like “a lion and a fox” (The Prince, Chapter XVIII). By this Machiavelli means that a ruler should be like a lion to keep away the wolves that can get to the fox who finds the traps that the lion could get into. Essentially, a ruler should be cunning and powerful. Elizabeth I of England and Louis XIV of France fit these characteristics. Louis XIV acted as a lion in such ways as the Edict of Fontainebleau which took away the power of the Huguenots. Elizabeth I of England was like a lion because she married her country, not a man, therefore keeping all power to herself and frightening away the “wolves.” Louis XIV acted as a fox by getting away from the “traps” of the nobility by heavily taxing them because he did not want to relive the Fronde, a civil war where he was humiliated by nobles (Tom Richey, Louis XIV Rap 0:27-0:31). Elizabeth acted as a fox because she was religiously tolerant and kept England away from “traps” that could lead to wars.
Varying from time, location and person, what it takes to be considered a hero has remained for the most part unanimous and throughout time has been represented in multiple ways. Most present in dated writing, a hero 's image and pride make up a big portion of most heroes. Their heroes aren’t so humble and they aspire to keep their title of "hero". On the contrary, most heroes in literature today are quite modest and don 't expect to be viewed as or considered heroes (more often than not they themselves do not classify with being heroes). As is the case for Beowulf and Katniss Everdeen, both different and yet also similar in terms of action, motives and thought (their personality being what really separates the two). Perhaps the biggest part of how a hero is treated and acts depends on what their society is like. Throughout time, the overall qualities of a hero have remained very similar. What has changed, is
Traditional female characteristics and female unrest are underscored in literary works of the Middle Ages. Although patriarchal views were firmly established back then, traces of female contempt for such beliefs could be found in several popular literary works. Female characters’ opposition to societal norms serves to create humor and wish- fulfillment for female and male audiences to enjoy. “Lanval” by Marie De France and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer both show subversion of patriarchal attitudes by displaying the women in the text as superior or equal to the men. However, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” also incorporates conventional societal ideas by including degradation of women and mistreatment of a wife by her husband.
From1527-1529, as Anne Boleyn’s influence rose, Wolsey waned. She disliked the cardinal because of his interference in her earlier engagement to Henry Percy. And both she and King were increasingly impatient with the pope’s endless prevarication. Torn between his secular and spiritual masters, Wolsey chose Henry’s side-but it was too late. He was indicated for praemunire; and later confessed guilt.
During her life, Eleanor married two kings, participates in the second Crusade, played an active role in both the French and British governments, and contributed to the rules of courtly love. Eleanor further saw that her daughters were married to men of high power, and helped two of her sons become King of England, thus assuring her place in history as the greatest queen that ever lived. Eleanor encouraged poeple of Aquitaine to get an education, at the time when people did not usaually care if they could read or not. The reason why Eleanor was and still important is because women of her era were not known to play such an important political roles and many queens who also ruled during the medieval time would not have influenced both the French and British courts. In fact, there was not a lot of information about the others queens of England and France.
Much has been written about the historical life of Eleanor of Aquitane. Her life, Undoubtedly reads like legend, at least in part because it is. It is fairly safe to say that the world had never seen a woman like Eleanor of Aquitane, and it is doubtful that there has been a woman since who could rival her power, intelligence, beauty and sheer force of will.
Bloch, R. Howard. Medieval Misogyny and the Invention of Western Romantic Love. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991.
In the Middle Ages, the roles of women became less restricted and confined and women became more opinionated and vocal. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight presents Lady Bertilak, the wife of Sir Bertilak, as a woman who seems to possess some supernatural powers who seduces Sir Gawain, and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale, present women who are determined to have power and gain sovereignty over the men in their lives. The female characters are very openly sensual and honest about their wants and desires. It is true that it is Morgan the Fay who is pulling the strings in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; nevertheless the Gawain poet still gives her a role that empowers her. Alison in The Wife if Bath Prologue represents the voice of feminism and paves the way for a discourse in the relationships between husbands and wives and the role of the woman in society.
Hildegard of Bingen, also known as Hildegard von Bingen in German, or Saint Hildegard, was a composer, musician, poet, playwright, and a philosopher in the eleventh century. In Germany she is also considered to be the founder of scientific natural history. Hildegard was recognized as a visionary in the church in the twelfth century. Hildegard began to take record of her visions and document that she saw all things in the light of God via her five senses. She wrote three volumes of visionary theology called “Scivias,” “Liber Vitae Meritorum,” and “Liber Divinorum Operum”. One of her most famous works as a composer is the “Ordo Virtutum” and is arguably the oldest surviving morality play. Hildegard also wrote many scientific and medicinal
It is no question that Beowulf was one of the b est, if not the best, warrior of his time. His skills of being a tremendous warrior are not to be questioned, but his position as a king could use a closer look. While the qualities of being a great warrior and a great king can be similar, there are some differing qualities to keep in mind. There is an extensive comparison to be made between Beowulf and Hrothgar, as a warrior and as a king and the qualities that each of them bring to the table. On lines 17 00-1739 of Beowulf, Hrothgar gives his famous speech to Beowulf on what it means to be a successful king. Hrothgar feels the need to give Beowulf this advice because he knows that Beowulf will one day need to know how to more than a warrior.
For the first time in very long, Eleanor of Aquitaine was defeated and lost power, a phenomenon which she was not used to. Though in the past Henry II and others held great respect for Eleanor, now, because of the revolt, they had lost hope in her and resented her actions (Peter of Blois: Letter 154 to Queen Eleanor, 1173). Even though she was taken prisoner after her loss, she still was surrounded by many luxuries. Eleanor was held at Salisbury Castle and never spent time in a real prison. She was allowed out on occasion to attend public ceremonies with Henry II and keep up her appearances (Eleanor, Historic World leaders). Though resentful, her light treatment after trying to take down her husband was due to her husband’s past love for her, a love that transcended a coup attempt. Once again, Eleanor’s charisma and personality saved
During the Middle Ages, Courtly love was a code which prescribed the conduct between a lady and her lover (Britannica). The relationship of courtly love was very much like the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege. The lover serves his beloved, in the manner a servant would. He owes his devotion and allegiance to her, and she inspires him to perform noble acts of valor (Schwartz). Capellanus writes, in The Art of Courtly Love, “A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved”. The stories of Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes illustrate the conventions of courtly love.
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is written in an entertaining and adventurous spirit, but serves a higher purpose by illustrating the century’s view of courtly love. Hundreds, if not thousands, of other pieces of literature written in the same century prevail to commemorate the coupling of breathtaking princesses with lionhearted knights after going through unimaginable adventures, but only a slight few examine the viability of such courtly love and the related dilemmas that always succeed. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that women desire most their husband’s love, Overall, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that the meaning of true love does not stay consistent, whether between singular or separate communities and remains timeless as the depictions of love from this 14th century tale still hold true today.
Women were often subjects of intense focus in ancient literary works. In Sarah Pomeroy’s introduction of her text Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, she writes, “Women pervade nearly every genre of classical literature, yet often the bias of the author distorts the information” (x). It is evident in literature that the social roles of women were more restricted than the roles of men. And since the majority of early literature was written by men, misogyny tends to taint much of it. The female characters are usually given negative traits of deception, temptation, selfishness, and seduction. Women were controlled, contained, and exploited. In early literature, women are seen as objects of possession, forces deadly to men, cunning, passive, shameful, and often less honorable than men. Literature reflects the societal beliefs and attitudes of an era and the consistency of these beliefs and attitudes toward women and the roles women play has endured through the centuries in literature. Women begin at a disadvantage according to these societal definitions. In a world run by competing men, women were viewed as property—prizes of contests, booty of battle and the more power men had over these possessions the more prestigious the man. When reading ancient literature one finds that women are often not only prizes, but they were responsible for luring or seducing men into damnation by using their feminine traits.