Class

Article

College

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

English Department

Faculty Mentor

Christine Cooper Rompato

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Although women were faced with many rigid social and legal customs that favored men during the Middle Ages, they were still able to find ways to exercise a strong voice and fight for their desires while living in a sexist society, as The Book of Margery Kempe explores. The Book of Margery Kempe exemplifies the unethical constraints that were placed upon women’s mobility and bodily autonomy during the Middle Ages through exploring a narrative of a vocal, strong-willed woman as she navigates the societal restrictions of her time yet never hesitates to stand up for herself or for what she believes in even when men try to lay claim to her body and mind. Whereas in a longer version of this paper I explore multiple societal constraints that afflict Kempe, in this short presentation, I focus on the perceived male ownership of Kempe’s person. Presentation Time: Thursday, 9-10 a.m. Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83802262211?pwd=QU5icUo4WW03NWZwNXVPNjlXYXQvUT09

Location

Logan, UT

Start Date

4-11-2021 12:00 AM

Included in

Life Sciences Commons

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Apr 11th, 12:00 AM

Bodily Autonomy and Mobility in The Book of Margery Kempe

Logan, UT

Although women were faced with many rigid social and legal customs that favored men during the Middle Ages, they were still able to find ways to exercise a strong voice and fight for their desires while living in a sexist society, as The Book of Margery Kempe explores. The Book of Margery Kempe exemplifies the unethical constraints that were placed upon women’s mobility and bodily autonomy during the Middle Ages through exploring a narrative of a vocal, strong-willed woman as she navigates the societal restrictions of her time yet never hesitates to stand up for herself or for what she believes in even when men try to lay claim to her body and mind. Whereas in a longer version of this paper I explore multiple societal constraints that afflict Kempe, in this short presentation, I focus on the perceived male ownership of Kempe’s person. Presentation Time: Thursday, 9-10 a.m. Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83802262211?pwd=QU5icUo4WW03NWZwNXVPNjlXYXQvUT09