The demonization of women during the Middle Ages

Published 2024-08-01
Section Papers

Authors

Keywords:

woman, middle ages, medieval sexuality, gender studies, medieval thougth, english

Abstract

The following work is an attempt to collect the negative idea of ​​the woman that would be gestated during the Middle Ages, firstly, through source texts, but also through interpretive speculation of various documents. The central hypothesis is that the negative idea of ​​the woman could be due to her link with the image that was held in the same period about the Devil. It is not about identification, but about a relationship or link between one and the other. To do this, 1) the theological-spiritual doctrine about the Devil as a representative figure of evil will be exposed, and then 2) expose some ideas about the relationship of the Devil with the female figure, from the biological to the psychological, from Creation and the Sin until the emergence of more elaborate theological reflections towards the end of the 13th century, to finally 3) delve into the anthropological aspect, linked more specifically to female sexuality and culminate with a critical reflection on female demonization.

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How to Cite

Maillet, P. (2024). The demonization of women during the Middle Ages. Revista Chilena De Estudios Medievales, (25), 35–51. Retrieved from http://revistas.ugm.cl/index.php/rcem/article/view/626

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