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Courtesy and Women in the Scandinavian Knightly Epic
Ivánková, Markéta ; Březinová, Helena (advisor) ; Polách, Vladimír (referee) ; Malaníková, Michaela Antonín (referee)
Courtesy and Women in the Scandinavian Knightly Epic Abstract The aim of this dissertation was synchronic and diachronic evaluation of gender roles in Scandinavian courtly epic from its beginning in the 13th century until the end of the 15th century. Its different conceptions of women, love, and courtesy were chosen as criteria, which make the main specifics of continental courtly fashion apparent - of the fashion which these translations were meant to introduce into Scandinavia. Besides literary analyses of gender norms, we have considered texts of pragmatic nature and even selected artefacts of material culture. Our focus, therefore, included a broader social, cultural, and political context of this literature and social norms and literary conventions of other contemporary literary genres in Scandinavia. Our work is based not only on primary sources and findings of literary history, but also on interdisciplinary research. Our analyses demonstrate the destabilisation and redefinition of gender boundaries in Old Norse literature, which was caused by translations of knightly epic, where the male hero was allowed so far unparalleled degree of sensitivity and feminine openness of emotions. Prior to these translations, honour and status of any man, who would humbly beseech his beloved like the heroes of...
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