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READING POWER AND AMBIGUITY IN THE SUPERNATURAL WOMEN OF MIDDLE ENGLISH ROMANCE JANE ELIZABETH BONSALL PHD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 2018 2 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Department of English Literature, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, part of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. I declare that all written work presented here is original and has been composed by myself except where the publications, presentations or personal communications of others have been appropriately cited. No part of this thesis has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Signed Jane Elizabeth Bonsall 31 August, 2018 3 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the different models of supernatural femininity in the Middle English romance genre, specifically analysing the representations of magical women as sites of ambiguity, moral flexibility, and power. Using a range of Middle English romance texts that foreground supernaturally powerful female characters, the thesis examines the conventions and contradictions inherent in the romance genre’s representations of magical women, and seeks to connect those representations to specific contemporary cultural anxieties about women and power in late medieval English society. I use the terms ‘supernatural woman’ and ‘magical woman’ as labels to designate the female characters in medieval romance whose extraordinary magical abilities or identities render them powerful in potentially subversive ways, and my work explores the impact such labels have on the perceived morality of these characters. Each chapter focuses on a different type of ‘supernatural woman,’ exploring romance’s treatment of that character-type, and the distinct social context informing that particular representation. The first chapter explores romance’s treatment of magical healing women in the Middle English Tristan-tradition, which I read alongside the social history of female medical practitioners in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The second chapter connects the magical Saracen princesses in texts such as Bevis of Hampton to contemporary anxieties about queenship, foreignness, and exoticism. The third chapter explores the sexual and economic authority of the ‘fairy mistress’ characters of Sir Launfal and Partonope of Blois, which I relate to the power and economic status of women in late medieval England. The fourth chapter then deals with representations of maternity and monstrosity, connecting the Middle English Melusine texts to the medical, and specifically gynaecological treatises of the period. Finally, the thesis concludes with an overview of the way Morgan le Fay’s character in the Morte Darthur encompasses the authority and ambiguity of all of the previously discussed stereotypes of magical femininity, shaping our understanding of the role of magical women in medieval literature. In all these cases, the labels ‘magical’ and ‘supernatural’ complicate the morality of these female characters and their position relative to late medieval social and gender norms. In addition, my methodology uses the romance genre’s intertextual, folkloric nature to read these texts as interwoven and – as such – possessing greater 4 complexity and potential than their brief, formulaic, plot-driven narratives might suggest. I argue that familiarity with the conventions of the form would have permitted a more subversive reading of these texts’ representations of supernaturally powerful women. In particular, the thesis contends that the conservative elements of these texts – for example, the restoration of patriarchal hegemony and the containment or displacement of disruptive femininity omnipresent in their conclusions – are subverted and destabilised when the texts are read as existing in conversation with one another, and as inhabiting a shared, folkloric narrative space. 5 LAY SUMMARY This thesis explores the representations of magical women in the medieval English popular literature, focussing on their ambiguity, moral flexibility, and power. This thesis uses a range of popular secular texts that foreground supernaturally powerful female characters, examining the contradictions in those representations, and how they are connected to specific contemporary cultural anxieties about women and power in late medieval English society. I use the terms ‘supernatural woman’ and ‘magical woman’ as labels to designate the female characters in medieval romance whose extraordinary magical abilities or identities make them powerful in surprising and subversive ways; my work explores the impact that label has on the perceived morality of these characters. Each chapter focuses on a different type of ‘supernatural woman,’ including magical healing women, magical Middle Eastern princesses, ‘fairy mistress’ characters, and monstrous mothers. Each character-type is then analysed in conjunction with relevant social history, such as the role of women in medicine in the Middle Ages, the medieval views on queenship, women’s economic authority, and late medieval understandings of the female body. Finally, this thesis concludes with an overview of the way the character Morgan le Fay encompasses the authority and ambiguity of all of the previously discussed stereotypes of magical femininity, and helps us see the connections between these different characters. In all these cases, the label ‘supernatural’ complicates the morality of these female characters and their position relative to late medieval social and gender norms. Romances, tales of adventure and love, were some of the most well-known narratives in the medieval period. This means that the audiences of these texts were often familiar with the stories, either because they had heard the tale before, or simply because they were aware of the conventions of the genre. The way this familiarity would have changed the experience of reading these narratives is key to my analysis, because anticipating the ending of a text, or mentally comparing a text to other similar stories, creates nuanced, ambiguous storylines. I use the romance genre’s folkloric nature to read these texts as interwoven and – as such – full of narrative potential. My work explores the unexpected ambiguity and nuance in the representations of these supernaturally powerful female characters that arises from the ways in which these texts would have been read, and from their connections to social history. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The undertaking of this thesis would not have been possible without the constant love and support of my family, who have spent the last twenty-eight years encouraging me, listening to me, reflecting for me, and helping me to do the work I love. My father, Robert Bonsall, has shown me the value of work that feeds your passions, and has helped and supported me unconditionally in the process of finding my own. My mother, Clare Bonsall, first gave me my love of words and stories, and helped me clarify my voice as a writer; she has also taught me how to see (the world, and myself in it) with clarity and compassion. My brilliant sister, Theodora Bonsall, inspires me daily with her strength, determination, kindness, and love; she and my mother are the real magical women to whom this thesis is dedicated. I am immensely grateful for the support and guidance of my supervisor, Dr. David Salter, whose endless patience and confidence in my abilities made it possible for me to find my way through this process, even (and perhaps especially) when I lacked that confidence in myself. David’s supervision helped me see breadth and potential, and new pathways when I became enmired in my work. I am also grateful for the support of Dr. Sarah Carpenter, whose clarity of vision and kind, supportive reflection has given me the confidence to choose from amongst those many pathways and see my work with greater lucidity. Living in Edinburgh has brought me in contact with truly amazing people, and the most brilliant, loving, steadfast friends I can imagine, for whose support I am immensely grateful. Jane Freeborn, Minna Helminen, Dr. Christian Cooijmans, Alice Kilpatrick, and the other compatriots from the masters year set me on this path, and have supported me through all of it, both by engaging with my work and by helping me disengage from it when necessary. My medievalist coven, Dr. Phoebe Linton, Lucy Hinney, Dr. Morgan Boharski, Danielle Howarth, and Anna McKay, showed me how transformative and vital friendships in academia can be; their fierce support, ready humour, and endless generosity has gotten me through the last few years. And I am immeasurably