1. Women, Feminism, and Early British Literature Jennifer Goodman

2. Medieval Woman at Work http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_women.htm

3. Medieval Women and Society Patriarchal System Men held authority over women Refused to grant merit to women's views Attitude toward women was misogynistic Women had to know their place Women held a secondary role to men Clergy wrote were dangerous because they cause men to sin

4. Laws Governing Women Not allowed to marry without parent' consent Could own no business without special permission Not allowed to divorce their husbands Could not own property unless they were widows Could not inherit land from their parents if they had surviving brothers Set by men Severely limited women's freedom

5. Medieval Women and Work Few women worked Principal role was taking care of husband, children, and home Village women may work in the fields In town, women may be a servant to the wealthy Were barred from belonging to medieval guilds No chance for advancement Would work multiple jobs to make the same money as men

6. Medieval Women and Work Pay for Men Reaping: 8 pence/day Hay Making: 6 pence/day Pay for Women Reaping: 5 pence/day Haymaking: 4 pence/day

7. Medieval Women and Marriage Had no choice in who they married Parents (Father) made decision based on benefits to the family After marriage a woman was under the husbands control Men could chastise and beat women to correct her errors Male heirs were important so women were pregnant frequently 20% of women died during childbirth Most common cause of death in this time

8. Medieval Women Were not educated – detrimental to female virtues Women who wanted education became nuns A few lucky women were educated prior to marriage by family Were not allowed to speak out Those who did were "witches" and writers They likely suffered persecution and death for doing so Unmarried women had more rights than married women

9. Influence through Literature Women and Men That Made a Difference

10. Aphra Behn  First woman to earn a living as a writer  Very much a woman in a world of men  A spy for the Crown  May have been well travelled  Condemned for loose morals  Thrown in debtor's prison

11. Frances "Fanny" Burney  Overcame family disapproval of her writing  No formal education  Novels deal with women's roles  Wrote Cecilia  The heroine must find a man to take her name in order to retain her inheritance

12. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley  Lived through a difficult childhood  Worked as a lady's companion, governess, and schoolmistress  Had a child out of wedlock  Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792

13. Geoffrey Chaucer  Born into a wealthy family  Father of English Literature  Wrote Canterbury Tales which included the Wife of Bath  The Wife of Bath is has obvious feminist overtones

14. Citations 1."Medieval Gender." Medieval Gender RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. 2."Medieval Women." Medieval Women. HistoryLearning Site, 2006. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. 3. "The Norton Anthology of Western Literature." W. W. Norton & Company. Norton & Company, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. 4. "Women Writers-17th and 18th Centuries." Women Writers-17th and 18th Centuries. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. 5."Women's Role in the MedievalSociet." Women’s Role in the Medieval Society (n.d.): n. pag. Wwwencouragementproje. Web. 13 Oct. 201.