Katherine Terrell Le Roman De Silence Analysis

Katherine Terrell’s article “Competing Gender Ideologies and the Limitations of Language in Le Roman de Silence” Terrell explores exactly “why the text lends itself to such widely divergent readings” as to how the text is feminist or misogynistic (36). On my hand Terrell finds “Silence’s success in traditionally male roles has led some readers to see this as a ‘proto-feminist’ text” but also notes the opinion that:
On the other hand, the narrator’s persistent antifeminism, the poem’s conventional portrayal of other female characters, and the reestablishment of gender orthodoxy at the poem’s end have led others to conclude that the poet is another eager participant in the longstanding tradition of medieval misogyny. (36)
Terrell then explores what evidence would lead to these varying opinions. Terrell does so by exploring the scenes in which Heldris describes Silence’s successful exploits while simultaneously describing her weak female nature. Terrell finds this causes “Heldris’s traditional conception of gender as linked innately to physical sex collides with the obvious counterexample of a woman who exemplifies masculine qualities” (38). Because of Heldris’ comments on Silence Terrell states, “the narrative’s two premises—that all women are feminine, and that Silence is superlatively masculine—are revealed to be fundamentally irreconcilable” (38). Terrell finds that other issues that would lead to dissenting opinions on her gender is Silence’s loss of her voice after her marriage, stating “once it becomes impossible to sustain two competing …show more content…
Ryder and Zaerr examine how several devices lessen Silence’s power and keep her in the low place of a woman. The first device explored by Ryder and Zaerr is the device of deceleration, in which the author