Re: Courtly behavior

[AEdric the Grene <AEdric@mindspring.com>]

Poster: AEdric the Grene <AEdric@mindspring.com>

>Poster: "Galen" <galen@widomaker.com>
>
>one of the more important aspects of the SCA, atleast from my standpoint. To
>put it simply many of us who play now < not all> have forgotten the concept
>of, for lack of a better term, Courtly Love or the Cult of the Lady. Our
>ladies of the SCA, should be held in the highest regard, for they are the
>very reason we fight, we train, we act the way we do. Their pleasure is the

While I am all for courtesy and Chivalry (which co-developed with Courtly
Love), I am very much NOT a beliver in Courtly Love.  From what I've read
and been taught, it comes across as something that I do not believe is part
of the "Middle Ages As It Should Have Been".  The crux of the problem is
that I find it anti-woman while claiming not to be.  Hardly an ideal I'd be
at all interested in encouraging.

Without going into a long treatise with references to works, college class
notes, and all, I'll try to sum up why I believe this.  Men place women as
the objects of desire and then expect women to follow these rules.  In
fact, what with the worship and acting as servants to them, they cage and
bind the women into a circumscribed role that turns previous power into
lessened influence, collapses a women's world into the sphere of love and
breeding heirs, and generally takes away any power and authority they may
have had previously.

Thus, while I will support Chivalry (which fortunately has rules quite
apart from Courtly Love), I will not particpate in a game that actively
promotes (No matter how innocent or noble the intentions of those
recreating it) inequality of women.  Of course, one can argue that women
can not be Chivalrous (not in Period, at least), but it is not inherently
anti-women.

I do not, however, expect anyone to suddenly bow to my superior wisdom or
belief (Heck, I even read a Pagan Feminist article that argues just the
opposite of what I've said).  Just to point out a position that is by no
means unique to me (at least in the academic world, if not the SCA) so that
people understand why appeals to Chivalry may work better on some rather
than appeals to playing Courtly Love.


AEdric the Grene
House Howling Mouse
(Iconoclast?  Definite Feminist)

PS - BTW, as a logical extension of my rejection of Courtly Love, this does
mean I expect ladies as well as lords to be Chivalrous in doing the
courtesies like holding doors, helping overburdened gentles, etc, etc.  If
we have female Knights, territorial Baronesses, Officers, etc, etc then
certainly we should expect equal Chivalry from all to the best of each
gentle's abilities.  If this seems improper for Period to you, then maybe
you gain immediare insight into my argument above.

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