Depictions of Female Power in Celtic Literature and Arthurian Romance

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Myhill, Nova

Keywords

Arthurian Romance, Celtic Literature, Female Power

Area of Concentration

British and American Literature

Abstract

Scholars have a tendency to work with Celtic stories through a medieval French lens, even thought the cultures which produced the two traditions are very different. In this thesis, I compare three Arthurian romances with three Celtic narratives. The comparison demonstrates how inappropriate it is to impose French ideas onto Celtic stories. I use the example of attitudes towards women and power to show the sharp differences between French and Celtic culture. In the Introduction, I provide the historical background needed to understand the texts. Chapter 1 addresses attitudes towards women who have authority over themselves and pick their own mates. In the second chapter the amount and type of power a woman has during courtship and marriage are compared. Chapter 3 discusses the differences between the roles of French and Celtic queens, particularly in regards to leadership. Through these comparisons, I hope to prove that Celtic culture needs to be studied on its own terms, and not only for its relationship to French culture.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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