Literature : The Wife of Bath's Tale

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 5

Literature  
The Wife of Bath's Tale

The Wife of Bath's Tale

Old works vs modern

- Be able to find links / parallels / etc (synthesize information!) 

       -> Critical thinking

- Cultural and historical understanding

- Evolution of language

- 6VWO = challenging!

- Before we watch the video: focus on the feminist lense

• Simps, maneaters, incels etc all of these are just modernized terms for types of people that have existed since the start of history! 
• Historical, societal, cultural contexts influence literature. So, these themes are timeless

The Wife of Bath's Tale

- One of the stories from the Canterbury Tales 
- In your reader: 
          - description of the Wife of Bath 
          - the Wife of Bath prologue
          - the Wife of Bath's tale

The Wife of Bath

- Detailed description of her appearance
- Red stockings, broad hips, big butt
    = medieval stereotype of a lustful person
- Renowned clothmaker, makes lots of money, lots of travelling
- Widowed, since married women couldn't travel or do business

The Wife of Bath Prologue

- Establishes herself as an expert on marriage
- First three husbands were good, last two husbands were bad
- Make them feel guilty for drinking
- Make them give her whatever she wanted
- Fourth husband had a mistress
- Fifth husband she actually loved, but he beat her

The Wife of Bath's Tale

- Set in the time of King Arthur 
- Young knight has raped a woman
- Queen Guinevere: find the answer to what women want most
- One year to find the answer
- Comes across an old woman with fairies
- Will tell him if he gives her whatever she wants
- Agrees and they go back to the court

The Wife of Bath's Tale

- Woman: What women want most is power over their husband
- In exchange the old woman wants to marry the knight
- Offers him choice: a. old and ugly, but faithful wife,
                                           b. young and beautiful, but unfaithful wife
- Knight cannot choose and leaves it to her
- What she wanted most (power) and turns beautiful & faithful
- Live happily ever after

What makes the wife of bath's tale a feminist literary criticism?

Because...

- Strong female protaganist

- Challenging patriarchal authority

-  Female sovereignty

- Defying traditional gender roles

- Emphasis on consent and respect 

- Women experiences

Deadline!

Literature B, D, G!

1. Take a guess: The Wife of Bath claims she's an expert on marriage. Why?

1. She wrote a best-selling book on marriage
2. She's had multiple husbands
3. She's been married for 37 years
4. She has a lot of married friends

2. Take a guess: How many husbands has the Wife of Bath had?

1. 3
2. 4
3. 5
4. 6

3. Take a guess: True or False "The Wife of Bath's Tale can be seen as an empowering tale for women."

1. True
2. False

4. Take a guess: True or False "The Wife of Bath is described as a medieval stereotype."

1. True
2. False

5. Take a guess: Which of the following does not appear in the Wife of Bath's Tale?

1. Fairies
2. Queen Guinevere
3. A knight
4. King Arthur

6. What is not part of the physical appearance of the Wife of Bath?

1. Long neck
2. Red stockings
3. Broad hips
4. Big butt

7. Which of the following did the Wife of Bath not do?

1. Praying for the poor
2. Clothmaking
3. Remarrying several times
4. Travelling around

8. The Wife of Bath had several husbands, but some good and some bad. How many of each?

1. 1 good & 3 bad husbands
2. 2 good & 3 bad husbands
3. 3 good & 2 bad husbands
4. 4 good & 2 bad husbands

9. Why does the knight need to find the answer to what women want most?

1. He killed a woman
2. He raped a woman
3. He hit a woman
4. He stole from a woman

10. What do women want most according to the old woman in the tale?

1. Powerful husbands
2. Freedom of choice
3. Power over their husbands
4. Freedom of speech