The Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances: Heretical Outsider or Political Insider :: Essays Papers

The Female Spell-caster in midst slope Romances unorthodox taboolander or Political Insider Historically, the relationship between heresy and spell-casting is difficult to define.1 For example, H. A. Kelly points out that necromancy and heresy were not formally linked in England.2 They were regarded as go bad crimes, although burning (especially after the 1401 Statute passed by Parliament) could be the punishment for both crimes. Certainly, position romances from the 14th to the sixteenth part centuries do not explicitly fix sorcery and heresy. Popular attitudes, though, often would link the cardinal in the late optic Ages, and this coupling could be accompanied by the issue of gender. As Kramer and Sprenger, two Jesuitical inquisitors, wrote in 1486 since women ar feebler both in mind and body, it is not surprise that they should come more under the spell of witchcraft. For as regards intellect, or the reasonableness of apparitional beings, they seem of a dif ferent nature from men ....3 Yet, as Malcolm liter explains, heresy stems not just from deviation from orthodox phantasmal article of belief save also from deliberate actions against ecclesiastical authority and refusal to recant when ordered to do so.4 Exploring the links among sorcery, heresy, and gender in popular literature, such as Middle English metrical romances, can demonstrate how the individual and collective perceptions of these issues changed from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century.5 Thus three questions arise about spell-casting women in Middle English romances apply the heretical implications of these womens actions been ignored? Considering no authority intervenes to inform them that they are defying religious doctrines, can these semipolitically powerful women even be viewed as heretics? And finally, how do the political and religious circumstances of the historical community impact these fictional women and their potentially heretical actions? For th e purposes of this paper, discussion will be limited to the female spell-casters lay down in metrical romances which contain imposed physical transformations and which were composed in England from the fourteenth century to the sixteenth century. Shape-shifting (i.e. voluntarily changing ones own form) and changing into an dyspneal end such as a stone or tree are not included. The following romances contain imposed-changed body forms and are listed in usual chronological orderTIME PERIODS AND TEXTS (GENDER) SPELL-CASTERI. Early to mid fourteenth centuryLybeaus Desconus(M) 2 magiciansCheuelere Assigne(F) heros grandmotherWilliam of Palerne(F) transformees stepmotherThe Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances Heretical Outsider or Political Insider Essays PapersThe Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances Heretical Outsider or Political Insider Historically, the relationship between heresy and spell-casting is difficult to define.1 For example, H. A. Kelly poin ts out that sorcery and heresy were not formally linked in England.2 They were regarded as separate crimes, although burning (especially after the 1401 Statute passed by Parliament) could be the punishment for both crimes. Certainly, English romances from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries do not explicitly relate sorcery and heresy. Popular attitudes, though, often would link the two in the late Middle Ages, and this coupling could be accompanied by the issue of gender. As Kramer and Sprenger, two Jesuit inquisitors, wrote in 1486 since women are feebler both in mind and body, it is not surprising that they should come more under the spell of witchcraft. For as regards intellect, or the understanding of spiritual beings, they seem of a different nature from men ....3 Yet, as Malcolm Lambert explains, heresy stems not just from deviation from orthodox religious belief but also from deliberate actions against ecclesiastical authority and refusal to recant when ordered to do so.4 Exploring the links among sorcery, heresy, and gender in popular literature, such as Middle English metrical romances, can demonstrate how the individual and collective perceptions of these issues changed from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century.5 Thus three questions arise about spell-casting women in Middle English romances have the heretical implications of these womens actions been ignored? Considering no authority intervenes to inform them that they are defying religious doctrines, can these politically powerful women even be viewed as heretics? And finally, how do the political and religious circumstances of the historical community impact these fictional women and their potentially heretical actions? For the purposes of this paper, discussion will be limited to the female spell-casters found in metrical romances which contain imposed physical transformations and which were composed in England from the fourteenth century to the sixteenth century. Shape-shifti ng (i.e. voluntarily changing ones own form) and changing into an inanimate object such as a stone or tree are not included. The following romances contain imposed-changed body forms and are listed in general chronological orderTIME PERIODS AND TEXTS (GENDER) SPELL-CASTERI. Early to mid fourteenth centuryLybeaus Desconus(M) 2 magiciansCheuelere Assigne(F) heros grandmotherWilliam of Palerne(F) transformees stepmotherThe Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances Heretical Outsider or Political Insider Essays PapersThe Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances Heretical Outsider or Political Insider Historically, the relationship between heresy and spell-casting is difficult to define.1 For example, H. A. Kelly points out that sorcery and heresy were not formally linked in England.2 They were regarded as separate crimes, although burning (especially after the 1401 Statute passed by Parliament) could be the punishment for both crimes. Certainly, English romances from t he fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries do not explicitly relate sorcery and heresy. Popular attitudes, though, often would link the two in the late Middle Ages, and this coupling could be accompanied by the issue of gender. As Kramer and Sprenger, two Jesuit inquisitors, wrote in 1486 since women are feebler both in mind and body, it is not surprising that they should come more under the spell of witchcraft. For as regards intellect, or the understanding of spiritual beings, they seem of a different nature from men ....3 Yet, as Malcolm Lambert explains, heresy stems not just from deviation from orthodox religious belief but also from deliberate actions against ecclesiastical authority and refusal to recant when ordered to do so.4 Exploring the links among sorcery, heresy, and gender in popular literature, such as Middle English metrical romances, can demonstrate how the individual and collective perceptions of these issues changed from the fourteenth to the sixteenth cent ury.5 Thus three questions arise about spell-casting women in Middle English romances have the heretical implications of these womens actions been ignored? Considering no authority intervenes to inform them that they are defying religious doctrines, can these politically powerful women even be viewed as heretics? And finally, how do the political and religious circumstances of the historical community impact these fictional women and their potentially heretical actions? For the purposes of this paper, discussion will be limited to the female spell-casters found in metrical romances which contain imposed physical transformations and which were composed in England from the fourteenth century to the sixteenth century. Shape-shifting (i.e. voluntarily changing ones own form) and changing into an inanimate object such as a stone or tree are not included. The following romances contain imposed-changed body forms and are listed in general chronological orderTIME PERIODS AND TEXTS (GENDE R) SPELL-CASTERI. Early to mid fourteenth centuryLybeaus Desconus(M) 2 magiciansCheuelere Assigne(F) heros grandmotherWilliam of Palerne(F) transformees stepmother