Women Readers and the Ideology of Gender in Old French Verse Romance

Download or read book Women Readers and the Ideology of Gender in Old French Verse Romance written by Roberta L. Krueger and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-02-17 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study challenges the view that all courtly literature promoted the social status of women. Unlike previous books which focused on knights, it starts from the perspective of the woman reader/listener. Using reader-response theory, feminist criticism and recent historical studies, it suggests that romances taught gender roles, often inviting readers to criticise and resist them.