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Medieval Considerations of Incest, Marriage, and Penance focuses on the incest motif as used in numerous medieval narratives. Explaining the weakness of great rulers, such as Charlemagne, or the fall of legendary heroes, such as Arthur, incest stories also reflect on changes to the sacramental regulations and practices related to marriage and penance. Such changes demonstrate the Church's increasing authority over the daily lives and relationships of the laity. Treated here are a wide variety of medieval texts, using as a central reference point Philippe de Rémi's thirteenth-century La Manekine, which presents one lay author's reflections on the role of consent in marriage, the nature of contrition and forgiveness, and even the meaning of relics. Studying a variety of genres including medieval romance, epic, miracles, and drama along with modern memoirs, films, and novels, Linda Rouillard emphasizes connections between medieval and modern social concerns. Rouillard concludes with a consideration of the legacy of the incest motif for the twenty-first century, including survivor narratives, and new incest anxieties associated with assisted reproductive technology.
List of contents
Chapter 1 Introduction: Too Close for Comfort.- Chapter 2 Kinship Matters: An Immodest Proposal.- Chapter 3 Heroines, Vilains, and Barbarians in Other Medieval Incest Narratives.- Chapter 4 Medieval Marriage, Misogamy, and Misogyny.- Chapter 5 The Hand of Forgiveness.- Chapter 6 Regurgitation, Restitution, Resurrection, and Relics.- Chapter 7 Spirit and Letter: Speech Acts in Selected Medieval Texts.- Chapter 8 Conclusion: The Legacy of the Incest Motif.
About the author
Linda Marie Rouillard is Professor of French, Chair of World Languages and Cultures, University of Toledo, USA.
Report
"Rouillard's book provides fascinating insight into how thirteenth-century French society negotiated with changing ideas about incest, marriage, penance, relics, and gendered speech. Her far-ranging expertise carries this work through romance, theology, law, hagiography, and conduct literature, demonstrating through sheer breadth of example how broadly narratives of incest could signify within medieval society. Rouillard's compelling study makes valuable reading for literary scholars, social historians, and medievalists of all stripes." (Chelsea Skalak, Speculum, Vol. 98 (1), January, 2023)
