Monthly Archives: February 2011

After reading Madden’s essay “Gentility” followed by Keen’s essay “Chivalry,” I couldn’t help but notice the parallels in the way both titles were assumed by members of society.  Both rely heavily on public recognition which allows for a more fluid … Continue reading →

To follow up on one of Jade’s discussion questions from Tuesday, I think most women felt content with their role in society and that it was just the way things were. However, I think there must have been some evidence … Continue reading →

Perhaps the term “gentleman” is uttered in the south more due upholding rigorous family traditions.  To me a gentleman is someone with good manners, comes from a “good” family, and appears to have some wealth.  A medieval gentleman is not … Continue reading →

We were talking Tuesday about the effectiveness of conduct texts in Medieval England and today. It was mentioned that we can’t really have a generalized idea of whether or not they worked in instructing members of the gentry just like … Continue reading →

We discussed how “The Rules for Purchasing Land” in Ashmole 61 sounds like a lawyer’s poetic advice in lines such as “se that the seller be of age” (9) and “se wher the lond be bound or fre”(7). Then I started to … Continue reading →

Naomi Benjamin ENGL 400 Dr. Seaman 23 February 2011 Diamond, Arlyn. “The Erle of Tolous: The Price of Virtue.” Medieval Insular Romance: Translation and Innovation. Ed. Judith Weiss, Jennifer Fellows, and Morgan Dickson. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2000. 83-92. Print. Diamond … Continue reading →

The ideas of “gentleman” and “gentleness” come into widespread use in the 15th century (Radulescue and Truelove 18). Where did these gentlemen come from? From both higher and lower classes it seems: semi-wealthy knights and landowners who fell “down” a … Continue reading →

I’d like, first, to mention the insight and pertinence Philippa Maddern’s Gentility has in relation to our study.  I’m curious as to why we did not read this earlier in the semester.  Maddern has cleared up so many of gentility’s complexities … Continue reading →

In our discussion of “The Debate of the Carpenter’s Tools” it was mentioned that this text occurs in no other manuscript, that it exists solely in Ashmole 61. As Meaghan said in her blog post, it seems, at first, like … Continue reading →

After reading several didactic and religious texts in Ashmole 61, “The Debate of the Carpenter’s Tools” seemed to be an odd inclusion, especially considering its placement after Latin epigrams prayers and “Dame Courtesy,” but after reading Kruger’s essay “Dialogue, debate, … Continue reading →