Cordelia Beattie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199283415
- eISBN:
- 9780191712616
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283415.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This conclusion reflects on how the power of classification resides as much in language, in dominant cultural ideas that influence and inflect language use, as with individual classifiers. Key ...
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This conclusion reflects on how the power of classification resides as much in language, in dominant cultural ideas that influence and inflect language use, as with individual classifiers. Key factors affecting the cultural construction of categories include dominant religious and legal ideas in particular historical contexts, although the specific intentions of particular texts do affect how categories are deployed. The category ‘single woman’ has been shown to interact with those of ‘maiden’ and ‘widow’, whatever language is used, from the 13th century and into the 17th century. Its analysis pointed out various paths through the labyrinthine world of social classification, illustrating the interconnectedness of medieval culture, the complex relationship between representation and social reality, and the competing and overlapping nature of social categories.Less
This conclusion reflects on how the power of classification resides as much in language, in dominant cultural ideas that influence and inflect language use, as with individual classifiers. Key factors affecting the cultural construction of categories include dominant religious and legal ideas in particular historical contexts, although the specific intentions of particular texts do affect how categories are deployed. The category ‘single woman’ has been shown to interact with those of ‘maiden’ and ‘widow’, whatever language is used, from the 13th century and into the 17th century. Its analysis pointed out various paths through the labyrinthine world of social classification, illustrating the interconnectedness of medieval culture, the complex relationship between representation and social reality, and the competing and overlapping nature of social categories.
Edmund L. Drago
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823229376
- eISBN:
- 9780823234912
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823229376.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This book tells a story of white children and their families in the most militant Southern state in the United States (the state where the Civil War erupted). Drawing on a rich array of sources, many ...
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This book tells a story of white children and their families in the most militant Southern state in the United States (the state where the Civil War erupted). Drawing on a rich array of sources, many of them formerly untapped, the book shows how the War transformed the domestic world of the white South. Households were devastated by disease, death, and deprivation. Young people took up arms like adults, often with tragic results. Thousands of fathers and brothers died in battle; many returned home with grave physical and psychological wounds. Widows and orphans often had to fend for themselves. From the first volley at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor to the end of Reconstruction, the book explores the extraordinary impact of war and defeat on the South Carolina home front. It covers a broad spectrum, from the effect of “boy soldiers” on the ideals of childhood and child rearing to changes in education, marriage customs, and community as well as family life. The book surveys the children's literature of the era and explores the changing dimensions of Confederate patriarchal society. By studying the implications of the War and its legacy in cultural memory, it unveils the conflicting perspectives of South Carolina children, white and black, during modern times.Less
This book tells a story of white children and their families in the most militant Southern state in the United States (the state where the Civil War erupted). Drawing on a rich array of sources, many of them formerly untapped, the book shows how the War transformed the domestic world of the white South. Households were devastated by disease, death, and deprivation. Young people took up arms like adults, often with tragic results. Thousands of fathers and brothers died in battle; many returned home with grave physical and psychological wounds. Widows and orphans often had to fend for themselves. From the first volley at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor to the end of Reconstruction, the book explores the extraordinary impact of war and defeat on the South Carolina home front. It covers a broad spectrum, from the effect of “boy soldiers” on the ideals of childhood and child rearing to changes in education, marriage customs, and community as well as family life. The book surveys the children's literature of the era and explores the changing dimensions of Confederate patriarchal society. By studying the implications of the War and its legacy in cultural memory, it unveils the conflicting perspectives of South Carolina children, white and black, during modern times.
David Albert Jones
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199213009
- eISBN:
- 9780191707179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213009.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter describes the means by which clergy managed their glebe, whether by cultivating it themselves or letting it, and the means by which tithes were collected. It discusses the extent of ...
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This chapter describes the means by which clergy managed their glebe, whether by cultivating it themselves or letting it, and the means by which tithes were collected. It discusses the extent of their involvement in the agricultural economy of their parishes. It examines the evidence for the size and construction of clergy's parsonage houses, and the steps that were taken from the 1770s to build or improve parsonage houses to promote the residence of incumbents in their parishes. The evidence of the lifestyle of incumbents is investigated, along with the role and position of clergy wives, the provision of support for clergy widows, and the position of clergy in local society. The levels of expenditure of clergy are examined, especially in relation to the overheads in collecting tithe and cultivating glebe, taxation, and charity for the poor of their parishes.Less
This chapter describes the means by which clergy managed their glebe, whether by cultivating it themselves or letting it, and the means by which tithes were collected. It discusses the extent of their involvement in the agricultural economy of their parishes. It examines the evidence for the size and construction of clergy's parsonage houses, and the steps that were taken from the 1770s to build or improve parsonage houses to promote the residence of incumbents in their parishes. The evidence of the lifestyle of incumbents is investigated, along with the role and position of clergy wives, the provision of support for clergy widows, and the position of clergy in local society. The levels of expenditure of clergy are examined, especially in relation to the overheads in collecting tithe and cultivating glebe, taxation, and charity for the poor of their parishes.
Christina Harrington
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198208235
- eISBN:
- 9780191716683
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208235.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
If the living situations of religious women in early medieval Ireland were diverse, so too were the grades and varieties of their profession. There were two, possibly three, grades of female ...
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If the living situations of religious women in early medieval Ireland were diverse, so too were the grades and varieties of their profession. There were two, possibly three, grades of female monastic: the virgin, the widow/penitent, and the priest's ‘wife’, in addition to the peregrina or religious pilgrim. Some religious women acquired a special status in law, achieving a high degree of law-worthiness, and were deemed as equivalents to bishops and presbyters. Their high legal and ecclesiastical status is understandable in the context of the theological ideas which lay behind the idea of their offices. The virgin and penitent widow in particular carried a complex of symbolisms which, though grounded in the Western tradition, reflected a particularly Irish ‘take’ on them. This chapter discusses the ecclesiastical status of nuns as well as their status with respect to the law in Ireland during the 7th to 9th centuries.Less
If the living situations of religious women in early medieval Ireland were diverse, so too were the grades and varieties of their profession. There were two, possibly three, grades of female monastic: the virgin, the widow/penitent, and the priest's ‘wife’, in addition to the peregrina or religious pilgrim. Some religious women acquired a special status in law, achieving a high degree of law-worthiness, and were deemed as equivalents to bishops and presbyters. Their high legal and ecclesiastical status is understandable in the context of the theological ideas which lay behind the idea of their offices. The virgin and penitent widow in particular carried a complex of symbolisms which, though grounded in the Western tradition, reflected a particularly Irish ‘take’ on them. This chapter discusses the ecclesiastical status of nuns as well as their status with respect to the law in Ireland during the 7th to 9th centuries.
Jana Marguerite Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195315431
- eISBN:
- 9780199872022
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315431.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines Augustine's thoughts on singleness via salvation history. Many have held, following Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, that celibacy is the better state of life for Christians, and the ...
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This chapter examines Augustine's thoughts on singleness via salvation history. Many have held, following Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, that celibacy is the better state of life for Christians, and the state of life Christ demonstrates through his own life, death, and resurrection. Celibacy thus becomes intertwined with the salvation event of redemption. Augustine follows to a point but also counters those who would see that the simple fact of being celibate makes one holy. Augustine insists that Christian life is ultimately about virtuous living; one can cultivate those virtues whether married or celibate. Furthermore, Augustine discusses states of life such as divorce, suggesting that singleness is not just one state of life but several: widows, divorcees, celibates (monks and virgins), and the unmarried all figure. This chapter concludes by using Augustine's views to consider the false contemporary dichotomy between marriage and singleness, the second dichotomy raised in chapter 1.Less
This chapter examines Augustine's thoughts on singleness via salvation history. Many have held, following Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, that celibacy is the better state of life for Christians, and the state of life Christ demonstrates through his own life, death, and resurrection. Celibacy thus becomes intertwined with the salvation event of redemption. Augustine follows to a point but also counters those who would see that the simple fact of being celibate makes one holy. Augustine insists that Christian life is ultimately about virtuous living; one can cultivate those virtues whether married or celibate. Furthermore, Augustine discusses states of life such as divorce, suggesting that singleness is not just one state of life but several: widows, divorcees, celibates (monks and virgins), and the unmarried all figure. This chapter concludes by using Augustine's views to consider the false contemporary dichotomy between marriage and singleness, the second dichotomy raised in chapter 1.
A. B. Bosworth
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198153061
- eISBN:
- 9780191715204
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198153061.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
This book presents a study dedicated to the thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It deals with the emergence of the successor monarchies and examines the factors which ...
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This book presents a study dedicated to the thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It deals with the emergence of the successor monarchies and examines the factors which brought success and failure. Some of the central themes are the struggle for pre-eminence after Alexander's death, the fate of the Macedonian army of conquest, and the foundation of Seleucus' monarchy. The book also examines the statesman and historian Hieronymus of Cardia, concentrating on his treatment of widow burning in India and nomadism in Arabia. Another highlight is the first full analysis of the epic struggle between Antigonus and Eumenes (318-316), one of the most important and decisive campaigns of the ancient world.Less
This book presents a study dedicated to the thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It deals with the emergence of the successor monarchies and examines the factors which brought success and failure. Some of the central themes are the struggle for pre-eminence after Alexander's death, the fate of the Macedonian army of conquest, and the foundation of Seleucus' monarchy. The book also examines the statesman and historian Hieronymus of Cardia, concentrating on his treatment of widow burning in India and nomadism in Arabia. Another highlight is the first full analysis of the epic struggle between Antigonus and Eumenes (318-316), one of the most important and decisive campaigns of the ancient world.
Edward Rohs and Judith Estrine
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780823240227
- eISBN:
- 9780823240265
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823240227.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This chapter describes the aftermath of WWII and the challenges society faced in housing and caring for the generation of baby boomers who were born into extreme deprivation. It discusses ...
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This chapter describes the aftermath of WWII and the challenges society faced in housing and caring for the generation of baby boomers who were born into extreme deprivation. It discusses impoverished WWII war widows with children; women with illegitimate children; and WWII soldiers who falsified their death so as not to be responsible for an out-of-wedlock child. The chapter touches, for example, upon Ed Rohs' mother desperate straits and the ramifications of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy for a poor young woman in 1946. The chapter describes how, when he was six months old, Ed's parents brought him to the Angel Guardian Home for Infants in Brooklyn under the auspices of the Sisters of Mercy.Less
This chapter describes the aftermath of WWII and the challenges society faced in housing and caring for the generation of baby boomers who were born into extreme deprivation. It discusses impoverished WWII war widows with children; women with illegitimate children; and WWII soldiers who falsified their death so as not to be responsible for an out-of-wedlock child. The chapter touches, for example, upon Ed Rohs' mother desperate straits and the ramifications of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy for a poor young woman in 1946. The chapter describes how, when he was six months old, Ed's parents brought him to the Angel Guardian Home for Infants in Brooklyn under the auspices of the Sisters of Mercy.
Allyson M. Poska
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199265312
- eISBN:
- 9780191708763
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265312.003.04
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
While large numbers of Galician women never married, the majority eventually did, and this chapter examines their transition from singleness to married life. In many Galician families, husbands came ...
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While large numbers of Galician women never married, the majority eventually did, and this chapter examines their transition from singleness to married life. In many Galician families, husbands came to live with their wives' families, where generations of women vied for control. It explores the relations between mothers and their adult married daughters, the role of the husband in his bride's family home, and the creation of the stereotype of the dominating Galician mother-in-law. Female authority in the home was augmented by married women's access to property. Notarial records indicate that married women actively participated in the management and expansion of family estates. Many married women's lives were also complicated by male migration. The so-called ‘widows of the living’, whose spouses had abandoned them in the course of migration, lived awkwardly between marriage and singleness.Less
While large numbers of Galician women never married, the majority eventually did, and this chapter examines their transition from singleness to married life. In many Galician families, husbands came to live with their wives' families, where generations of women vied for control. It explores the relations between mothers and their adult married daughters, the role of the husband in his bride's family home, and the creation of the stereotype of the dominating Galician mother-in-law. Female authority in the home was augmented by married women's access to property. Notarial records indicate that married women actively participated in the management and expansion of family estates. Many married women's lives were also complicated by male migration. The so-called ‘widows of the living’, whose spouses had abandoned them in the course of migration, lived awkwardly between marriage and singleness.
Monica Mookherjee
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748632794
- eISBN:
- 9780748652556
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748632794.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book attempts to reconfigure feminism in a way that responds to cultural diversity. The book contends that a discourse of rights can be formulated and that this task is crucial to negotiating a ...
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This book attempts to reconfigure feminism in a way that responds to cultural diversity. The book contends that a discourse of rights can be formulated and that this task is crucial to negotiating a balance between women's interests and multicultural claims. The book reconfigures feminism in a way that responds to cultural diversity, by drawing on Iris Young's idea of ‘gender as seriality’. It argues that a discourse of rights can be formulated and that this task is crucial to negotiating a balance between women's interests and multicultural justice. The book works through a set of dilemmas in modern liberal democracies including: the resurgence of the feminist controversy over the Hindu practice of widow-immolation (sati); gender-discriminatory Muslim divorce laws in the famous Shah Bano controversy in India; forced marriage in South Asian communities in the UK; the rights of evangelical Christian parents to exempt their children from secular education; and the recent controversy about the rights of Muslim girls to wear the hijab in state schools in France.Less
This book attempts to reconfigure feminism in a way that responds to cultural diversity. The book contends that a discourse of rights can be formulated and that this task is crucial to negotiating a balance between women's interests and multicultural claims. The book reconfigures feminism in a way that responds to cultural diversity, by drawing on Iris Young's idea of ‘gender as seriality’. It argues that a discourse of rights can be formulated and that this task is crucial to negotiating a balance between women's interests and multicultural justice. The book works through a set of dilemmas in modern liberal democracies including: the resurgence of the feminist controversy over the Hindu practice of widow-immolation (sati); gender-discriminatory Muslim divorce laws in the famous Shah Bano controversy in India; forced marriage in South Asian communities in the UK; the rights of evangelical Christian parents to exempt their children from secular education; and the recent controversy about the rights of Muslim girls to wear the hijab in state schools in France.
Richard Finn Op
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199283606
- eISBN:
- 9780191712692
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283606.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter examines episcopal almsgiving, the principal sources of which were revenues from imperial subventions, church properties, special collections, and the regular offerings made by the ...
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This chapter examines episcopal almsgiving, the principal sources of which were revenues from imperial subventions, church properties, special collections, and the regular offerings made by the faithful. These offerings, often referred to as first fruits, did not include tithes as they were later understood. Eloquence was essential to the bishop in raising funds for alms which he then distributed with assistance from the deacons. Such alms principally benefited a small number of Christian recipients: widows, their dependent children and other ‘orphans’, and some poorer virgins. While this form of poor relief chiefly took the form of regular distributions of food, some urban churches also founded hostels for the care of the sick destitute.Less
This chapter examines episcopal almsgiving, the principal sources of which were revenues from imperial subventions, church properties, special collections, and the regular offerings made by the faithful. These offerings, often referred to as first fruits, did not include tithes as they were later understood. Eloquence was essential to the bishop in raising funds for alms which he then distributed with assistance from the deacons. Such alms principally benefited a small number of Christian recipients: widows, their dependent children and other ‘orphans’, and some poorer virgins. While this form of poor relief chiefly took the form of regular distributions of food, some urban churches also founded hostels for the care of the sick destitute.
Christina Harrington
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198208235
- eISBN:
- 9780191716683
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208235.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
By all accounts, much of the Irish women's religious life was little affected by the changes of the 10th, 11th, and early 12th centuries. The structure of the professions, for example, seems ...
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By all accounts, much of the Irish women's religious life was little affected by the changes of the 10th, 11th, and early 12th centuries. The structure of the professions, for example, seems unchanged. The two types of nuns, the virgins and the penitents/widows, continued to exist. Nuns, nunneries, abbesses, female saints, and their monasteries were all flourishing during this period. The female houses, large and small, were still in place. The nuns' professions appear to have continued much as before. Female saints, major and minor, continued to be petitioned by worshippers of both sexes. The changes of these centuries are, against this background, initially invisible. They become more apparent, however, when the scholar turns to the question of relations between the sexes within monastic life, and concentrates particularly on the chronology in the hagiographical corpus.Less
By all accounts, much of the Irish women's religious life was little affected by the changes of the 10th, 11th, and early 12th centuries. The structure of the professions, for example, seems unchanged. The two types of nuns, the virgins and the penitents/widows, continued to exist. Nuns, nunneries, abbesses, female saints, and their monasteries were all flourishing during this period. The female houses, large and small, were still in place. The nuns' professions appear to have continued much as before. Female saints, major and minor, continued to be petitioned by worshippers of both sexes. The changes of these centuries are, against this background, initially invisible. They become more apparent, however, when the scholar turns to the question of relations between the sexes within monastic life, and concentrates particularly on the chronology in the hagiographical corpus.
A. B. Bosworth
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198153061
- eISBN:
- 9780191715204
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198153061.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
The principal source which is examined for the period after the death of Alexander the Great is Hieronymus of Cardia. He is reputed for his supposedly dispassionate narrative of events, his factual ...
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The principal source which is examined for the period after the death of Alexander the Great is Hieronymus of Cardia. He is reputed for his supposedly dispassionate narrative of events, his factual accuracy, backed by verbatim citation of documents. However, Hieronymus had a penchant for digression, enlivening his narrative of men and events with picturesque descriptions of engineering and artistic monuments, the social mores of exotic peoples, and the origins of famous cities. Hieronymus' digressions, it may be argued, had a certain sophistication. They were not written solely to break the narrative and add exotic colour. There was on occasion an implied message, moral or political, which the reader might detect beneath the plain text of the excursus. We may see the method at work in two of the lengthiest ethnographic interludes in Diodorus. The first concerns a description of a deeply impressive event that occurred after the Battle of Paraetacene. The commander of the Indian contingent, a prince named Ceteus, had died heroically in battle, and was given a spectacular funeral. It gives the first recorded instance of the Indian institution of sati (widow burning).Less
The principal source which is examined for the period after the death of Alexander the Great is Hieronymus of Cardia. He is reputed for his supposedly dispassionate narrative of events, his factual accuracy, backed by verbatim citation of documents. However, Hieronymus had a penchant for digression, enlivening his narrative of men and events with picturesque descriptions of engineering and artistic monuments, the social mores of exotic peoples, and the origins of famous cities. Hieronymus' digressions, it may be argued, had a certain sophistication. They were not written solely to break the narrative and add exotic colour. There was on occasion an implied message, moral or political, which the reader might detect beneath the plain text of the excursus. We may see the method at work in two of the lengthiest ethnographic interludes in Diodorus. The first concerns a description of a deeply impressive event that occurred after the Battle of Paraetacene. The commander of the Indian contingent, a prince named Ceteus, had died heroically in battle, and was given a spectacular funeral. It gives the first recorded instance of the Indian institution of sati (widow burning).
Susan R. Holman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195383621
- eISBN:
- 9780199870479
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383621.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Church History
This chapter explores women's experience of poverty in religious tradition and social history and the effect of women's poverty on children's health and development. The chapter begins by ...
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This chapter explores women's experience of poverty in religious tradition and social history and the effect of women's poverty on children's health and development. The chapter begins by relating the unusual practice of “bleeding babies” in one modern community, then builds on this example to discuss the impact of gendered poverty on religion and society. Issues discussed include the relationship of women's poverty to social views on female body fluids, mother's milk, and social disorder; global statistics; the religious and social meaning of breast milk and blood, symbolic pollution, early Christian liturgy, healthcare for the poor, Christian relief for widows; prostitutes; charitable distribution of clothing; and women as beggars; and personal stories and observations from health clinics and from the church. The role of class difference in women's experience is an important topic in this chapter.Less
This chapter explores women's experience of poverty in religious tradition and social history and the effect of women's poverty on children's health and development. The chapter begins by relating the unusual practice of “bleeding babies” in one modern community, then builds on this example to discuss the impact of gendered poverty on religion and society. Issues discussed include the relationship of women's poverty to social views on female body fluids, mother's milk, and social disorder; global statistics; the religious and social meaning of breast milk and blood, symbolic pollution, early Christian liturgy, healthcare for the poor, Christian relief for widows; prostitutes; charitable distribution of clothing; and women as beggars; and personal stories and observations from health clinics and from the church. The role of class difference in women's experience is an important topic in this chapter.
Antony Augoustakis
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199584413
- eISBN:
- 9780191723117
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584413.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter discusses several female figures from Statius' Thebaid, a poem on the civil war between the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices. Hypsipyle is portrayed as an exiled foreigner, a ...
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This chapter discusses several female figures from Statius' Thebaid, a poem on the civil war between the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices. Hypsipyle is portrayed as an exiled foreigner, a displaced mother with misplaced affections, while Antigone and Ismene are transformed into the abject other, by regressing into their personal, yet unsafe space. Finally the poem ends with the appearance of the captured Amazons in Athens and the lament of the Argive widows, which brings the poet to an impasse and to his confession of utter powerlessness. Generic boundaries are reset, and gender hierarchies are crystallized, as the women remain alien and marginal.Less
This chapter discusses several female figures from Statius' Thebaid, a poem on the civil war between the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices. Hypsipyle is portrayed as an exiled foreigner, a displaced mother with misplaced affections, while Antigone and Ismene are transformed into the abject other, by regressing into their personal, yet unsafe space. Finally the poem ends with the appearance of the captured Amazons in Athens and the lament of the Argive widows, which brings the poet to an impasse and to his confession of utter powerlessness. Generic boundaries are reset, and gender hierarchies are crystallized, as the women remain alien and marginal.
John Van Seters
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195153156
- eISBN:
- 9780199834785
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195153154.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Within the second half of the code are social and humanitarian commandments concerned with the poor, the widow and orphan, and the stranger who are not to be exploited, but must be supported by ...
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Within the second half of the code are social and humanitarian commandments concerned with the poor, the widow and orphan, and the stranger who are not to be exploited, but must be supported by social welfare. These concerns are expressed in regulations regarding the practice of usury, fair treatment in a court of law, fair labor practices, and animal welfare. There are various apodictic prohibitions and injunctions on religious matters, including one that has been linked to the practice of child sacrifice, to which special attention is given. The last group of religious injunctions deals with the Sabbath and festival laws. Many of the laws within this half of the Covenant Code have their counterparts within the other biblical codes, as well as the larger biblical tradition, which call for careful comparative analysis.Less
Within the second half of the code are social and humanitarian commandments concerned with the poor, the widow and orphan, and the stranger who are not to be exploited, but must be supported by social welfare. These concerns are expressed in regulations regarding the practice of usury, fair treatment in a court of law, fair labor practices, and animal welfare. There are various apodictic prohibitions and injunctions on religious matters, including one that has been linked to the practice of child sacrifice, to which special attention is given. The last group of religious injunctions deals with the Sabbath and festival laws. Many of the laws within this half of the Covenant Code have their counterparts within the other biblical codes, as well as the larger biblical tradition, which call for careful comparative analysis.
Hamilton Hess
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198269755
- eISBN:
- 9780191601163
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269757.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
In response to a general problem in the fourth‐century Church arising from ambitious or unworthy petitions submitted to the imperial court by individual bishops, seven of the Serdican canons are ...
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In response to a general problem in the fourth‐century Church arising from ambitious or unworthy petitions submitted to the imperial court by individual bishops, seven of the Serdican canons are devoted to specifying appropriate causes for petition and for regulating the ways in which they should be presented. Canons 8 (Greek VII) and 10b draw a distinction between self‐seeking petitions, which are condemned, and petitions concerning widows, orphans, those who suffer injustice, and exiles, and stipulates that no bishop shall go to the court unless he is summoned or invited by the emperor. Canon 9a (Greek VIII) directs that the petitions should be delivered to the court by the petitioning bishop's deacon, and canon 9b (Greek IXa) adds that the petitions should first be approved by the metropolitan bishop of the province. Canon 10a (Greek IXb) makes a provision for bishops who have petitions and who are going to Rome that the Roman bishop may examine and send approved petitions to the court. This chapter also considers the development of the office of the metropolitan bishop in the East in the light of the evidence provided by Canon 9b (Greek IXa).Less
In response to a general problem in the fourth‐century Church arising from ambitious or unworthy petitions submitted to the imperial court by individual bishops, seven of the Serdican canons are devoted to specifying appropriate causes for petition and for regulating the ways in which they should be presented. Canons 8 (Greek VII) and 10b draw a distinction between self‐seeking petitions, which are condemned, and petitions concerning widows, orphans, those who suffer injustice, and exiles, and stipulates that no bishop shall go to the court unless he is summoned or invited by the emperor. Canon 9a (Greek VIII) directs that the petitions should be delivered to the court by the petitioning bishop's deacon, and canon 9b (Greek IXa) adds that the petitions should first be approved by the metropolitan bishop of the province. Canon 10a (Greek IXb) makes a provision for bishops who have petitions and who are going to Rome that the Roman bishop may examine and send approved petitions to the court. This chapter also considers the development of the office of the metropolitan bishop in the East in the light of the evidence provided by Canon 9b (Greek IXa).
Cordelia Beattie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199283415
- eISBN:
- 9780191712616
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283415.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This introductory chapter discusses the types of classification considered in the book (interpretative schemes, which divide society into various subgroups, and the labelling of named individuals), ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the types of classification considered in the book (interpretative schemes, which divide society into various subgroups, and the labelling of named individuals), and the sources that these are drawn from. It argues that a focus on the troubling category ‘single woman’ entails thinking about how medieval women are classified generally and, in particular, how the category relates to others such as ‘maiden’, ‘widow’, and ‘whore’. The emphasis on language means that the study goes into certain areas in depth, rather than attempt a broad survey of how the category ‘single woman’ was used in late medieval England. These case studies are briefly outlined.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the types of classification considered in the book (interpretative schemes, which divide society into various subgroups, and the labelling of named individuals), and the sources that these are drawn from. It argues that a focus on the troubling category ‘single woman’ entails thinking about how medieval women are classified generally and, in particular, how the category relates to others such as ‘maiden’, ‘widow’, and ‘whore’. The emphasis on language means that the study goes into certain areas in depth, rather than attempt a broad survey of how the category ‘single woman’ was used in late medieval England. These case studies are briefly outlined.
Cordelia Beattie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199283415
- eISBN:
- 9780191712616
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283415.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter explores the associations that accrue to certain categories through their repeated use in particular contexts by influential cultural discourses. It argues that use of the categories ...
More
This chapter explores the associations that accrue to certain categories through their repeated use in particular contexts by influential cultural discourses. It argues that use of the categories ‘virgin’ and ‘widow’ in a widely disseminated religious discourse about chastity means that the categories often carry with them associations of chastity, which could influence their use in other discourses, even when chastity is not an overt concern. Femme sole has specific meaning as a legal construct in late medieval England and these associations might similarly imprint themselves on the term and its Latin and Middle English variants, even when the legal construct itself is not being intentionally evoked. The chapter also reviews the arguments about how marriage and thus non-marriage was affected by demographic and economic changes after the Black Death, and whether this had some bearing on the use of the category ‘single woman’ in contemporary texts.Less
This chapter explores the associations that accrue to certain categories through their repeated use in particular contexts by influential cultural discourses. It argues that use of the categories ‘virgin’ and ‘widow’ in a widely disseminated religious discourse about chastity means that the categories often carry with them associations of chastity, which could influence their use in other discourses, even when chastity is not an overt concern. Femme sole has specific meaning as a legal construct in late medieval England and these associations might similarly imprint themselves on the term and its Latin and Middle English variants, even when the legal construct itself is not being intentionally evoked. The chapter also reviews the arguments about how marriage and thus non-marriage was affected by demographic and economic changes after the Black Death, and whether this had some bearing on the use of the category ‘single woman’ in contemporary texts.
Cordelia Beattie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199283415
- eISBN:
- 9780191712616
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283415.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter contends that ‘single woman’ was a useful category in a religious discourse concerned with sexual sin and penance. The focus here is on pastoral manuals that use the category in their ...
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This chapter contends that ‘single woman’ was a useful category in a religious discourse concerned with sexual sin and penance. The focus here is on pastoral manuals that use the category in their discussions of the sin of lechery (lust) and the opposing virtue, chastity, although these texts are situated in the wider context of preaching and the conduct of confession. The chapter explores what the category denotes, why it was included, and how it relates to other categories such as ‘virgin’, ‘widow’, and ‘whore’. While some texts did portray all sexually-active, unmarried women as whores, this chapter seeks to further debate by discussing why such women might themselves constitute a useful group in a penitential discourse.Less
This chapter contends that ‘single woman’ was a useful category in a religious discourse concerned with sexual sin and penance. The focus here is on pastoral manuals that use the category in their discussions of the sin of lechery (lust) and the opposing virtue, chastity, although these texts are situated in the wider context of preaching and the conduct of confession. The chapter explores what the category denotes, why it was included, and how it relates to other categories such as ‘virgin’, ‘widow’, and ‘whore’. While some texts did portray all sexually-active, unmarried women as whores, this chapter seeks to further debate by discussing why such women might themselves constitute a useful group in a penitential discourse.
Cordelia Beattie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199283415
- eISBN:
- 9780191712616
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283415.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter argues that nominative tax returns should not only be understood as pragmatic documents, which were created in response to a fiscal demand, but also as value-laden texts, which are ...
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This chapter argues that nominative tax returns should not only be understood as pragmatic documents, which were created in response to a fiscal demand, but also as value-laden texts, which are revealing of how certain groups conceptualized society and the people within it. It demonstrates this with particular reference to the unmarried, female taxpayer in 1379, by analysing how the category ‘single woman’ is used in relation to other categories, such as ‘widow’, ‘daughter’, or an occupational status, including ‘servant’. The return for the borough of Bishop's Lynn in Norfolk is the main text, but it is also compared with other poll tax returns. The returns offer different and conflicting representations of the unmarried, female taxpayer and not all of these are ones necessitated by the tax criteria. There is a particularly telling intersection between work identity and widowhood or daughterhood.Less
This chapter argues that nominative tax returns should not only be understood as pragmatic documents, which were created in response to a fiscal demand, but also as value-laden texts, which are revealing of how certain groups conceptualized society and the people within it. It demonstrates this with particular reference to the unmarried, female taxpayer in 1379, by analysing how the category ‘single woman’ is used in relation to other categories, such as ‘widow’, ‘daughter’, or an occupational status, including ‘servant’. The return for the borough of Bishop's Lynn in Norfolk is the main text, but it is also compared with other poll tax returns. The returns offer different and conflicting representations of the unmarried, female taxpayer and not all of these are ones necessitated by the tax criteria. There is a particularly telling intersection between work identity and widowhood or daughterhood.
