Thursday, August 29, 2013
Criticisms of the Wife of Bath
I had mixed feelings about the Wife of Bath. She undoubtedly made a stance for women's rights in the time period, proving that they were capable of having power. She had her husbands wrapped around her finger, working them to death. She guilted them into submitting control over to her through clever mind-games. While she states numerous stereotypes that men unjustly felt about women, she knowingly commits the terrible acts soon after pleading innocence to them. Perhaps through this she is meant to further the fear and convince men to give women little control over the household. Looking back from a modern perspective, it can be argued that she is justified in her actions, but during that time period, she would only have succeeded in confirming the stereotypes.
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I agree with your last statement. I often thought myself reading the story that this woman is a prime example of why this society feels the way it does about women, and was almost frustrated when she got upset about these stereotypes after listing off a lifetime of not being trustworthy,
ReplyDeleteI think you are right to a certain extent, the Wife of Bath can come off as a stereotype or caricature. But does she have anything interesting to say about women despite those exaggerated characteristics? Sure, the circumstances of her life story are crazy, but how does that reflect back on the society that created her?
ReplyDeleteAlso, in future posts Scott I need a much more substantial discussion. This clocks in just above 100 words and I need 200 minimum. I also want you to examine a specific passage or look at the use of a literary device. Quoting from the text itself is also a great tool to use. Finally, make sure to end with some questions for discussion. This post feels very half baked and in the future I want to see some rich blog posts!