10/13 Medieval Women #7A

Misogynists
Many Medieval thinkers thought of woman as subordinate and less important than man. According to many of our readings, women are described as seducing, vain, cruel, and even with a more sinful nature than man. Women were seen inferior to man in this way because, I believe, because many "religious" and "philosophical men" wanted a scapegoat. Women are guilty of greater sin than man because the actions of Eve in the in the Garden of Eden, so naturally, many thought, all women are the source of all evil and discomfort. These men wanted an excuse for their sexual desires and for when they went astray, so of course its those nasty women's fault for being pretty and forcing them to think sinful things. And if a man is unhappy in a marriage its because, to some of these philosophers, it's because women are so expensive, nagging, and disloyal. In the eyes of many medieval thinkers, men alone couldn't possibly have failed in areas that happen to concern women, so to them blaming and slandering women was the natural answer. Today, we do still see this. However, it is not just on the man's part. I believe both men AND women are guilty and magnifying faults and generalizing them to the entire gender. How many times have we heard that all men are pigs and all women are witches? Misogyny and even misandry are nothing new today.

Feminists
Many arguments are presented to contradict the misogynistic view from the Middle Ages. Both in the Southern Passion and in the Letter from the God of Love provide several similar arguments in support in women. Two such arguments stood out to me particularly. First is the point that men only scandalize women so because men are liars and hypocrites and generalize the female population too quickly. I believe that, in revealing this point, the authors commit the same hypocrisy that they accuse men of. The authors say that is ridiculous for people to generalize women or anyone else. Yet, in the Southern Passion the author directly calls men, "loudmouths and liars." That itself is the very same generalization warned against just a few sentences later. The second argument that stood out as far less problems. In Christine de Pizan's work, she sites biblical material as her evidence of the virtuous qualities of women. Using the example of the virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, the author employs an effective argument. The behavior, that was totally natural, of those woman directly goes against the negative stereotypes. Not only is the source one that her learned audience would be aware of, but it is also irrefutable. This argument is the much stronger argument of the two mentioned here.