Fractured Selves, Altered Egos: Redefining Masculinity in High
FRACTURED SELVES, ALTERED EGOS: REDEFINING MASCULINITY IN HIGH MEDIEVAL ROMANCE by MATTHEW DEAN O’DONNELL (Under the Direction of Katharina M. Wilson) ABSTRACT Coinciding with the rise in population and sophistication of high medieval Europe, chivalric romances of the twelfth through fourteenth centuries attempted to settle a number of issues regarding the status of chivalry, nobility, and masculinity with regards to their function in society. Using both frameworks of feudal kinship relations and an overlay of Christian morality and sinfulness, poets constructed definitions of noble masculinity favoring attributes of prowess and conquest over moderation and self-sacrifice. The concept of chivalric masculinity conflicted with religious doctrine concerning pride, sexuality, and sin, resulting in a degradation of the individual knight in following chivalric over religious codes of conduct. Exile, vice, and shame became inexorably connected to chivalric excess, and religious morality displaced feudal honor as the primary belief system in medieval courtly literature. INDEX WORDS: Masculinity, Chivalry, Courtly Love, Lyric, Romance, Knight, Male, Sexuality, Lady, Supernatural, Church, Nobility, Exile, Mortality FRACTURED SELVES, ALTERED EGOS: REDEFINING MASCULINITY IN HIGH MEDIEVAL ROMANCE by MATTHEW DEAN O’DONNELL BA, University of Georgia, 2005 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2009 © 2009 Matthew Dean O’Donnell All Rights Reserved FRACTURED SELVES, ALTERED EGOS: REDEFINING MASCULINITY IN HIGH MEDIEVAL ROMANCE by MATTHEW DEAN O’DONNELL Major Professor: Katharina M. Wilson Committee: Catherine M. Jones Jonathan D.M. Evans Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2009 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my mother: I am indebted to you for all that I have achieved, and for all that I aspire to be.
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