Within chapter 1, of the reading in Manne’s Down girl, She analyzes misogyny and its misogynistic attitudes. What are some examples of misogyny that you found within our sections of The Tain? Also, have you personally experienced and/or witnessed a form of misogyny?
Medieval Feminism
ENGL 361 and WGST 322 | Spring 2020 | Dr. Myra Seaman
Within this chapter, Manne mentions the reactionary portion of misogyny. According to her definition, misogyny can manifest itself in the reactions of men (and women) when women do not uphold traditional gender roles or patriarchal norms.
These reactions (which happen to take the form of violent outbursts) can be seen through Cúchulainn’s interactions with Medb. Because Cúchulainn is so accustomed to being in control, Medb acts as his first challenger of dominance, though perhaps not in a directly confrontational way. Her assertion of control (despite her gender) inspires the hostility and aggression that Manne describes as characteristic of misogyny. His aggression seems to amplify as he first fights with Fraech (on behalf of Medb), kills Medb’s young hound, and eventually “slew and beheaded” Orlám, Medb’s son (p. 95). Each of these violent acts happens to something that not only matters to Medb but that Medb also controls in some way. As such, his attacks on these people (and the wolf) are a violent reaction to Medb’s controlling and dominant nature that bucks against traditional gender roles.
Overall, a major theme that was shown within chapter 1 is the concept of “toxic masculinity.” The majority of the pages that we had to read for class today focused heavily on the actions and reactions of Conchobor and Cùchulainn. These are two angry figures in the story, whose main outlet for all of their emotions is violence, death, and honor. There were multiple stories that were told about Cùchulainn and his childhood, and how they all have lead him to be this big and strong figure that is seen as the epitome of masculinity. I personally have experinced a lot of misgony in my lifetime, and I have encourted a lot more since I have came out as transgender due to TERFS (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). They see me as having fallen victim to the patriarchy, therefore succumbing to masculinity in order to climb the social ladder, not because I am actually a man. I have also witnessed various forms of misogyny that have affected all of the women in my life, especially my sister. She has experienced a lot of misogyny and sexism in her years of higher education while she was trying to earn her law degree.
Within the required portion of The Táin for class today, much of what I took away from the text is lots of fighting, cutting off heads, and political venture by Cúchulainn. This trend is commonly portrayed as a theme of masculinity; that is, the men in this tale are using brute force to assert power and dominance. An example of misogyny that I noticed in the text is when Cúchulainn is surrounded by naked women as a form of appeal. This showcases Manne’s statement that misogyny is a “political phenomenon” (33). This is due to the women’s bodies being used as a compromise to prohibit Cúchulainn from further slaying men.
In the portion of the Tain that we read, one of the ideas that carried throughout was the need to prove one’s masculinity and the fact that the men believed it was essential to be violent and brutal in order to prove yourself as a man. This is because of the expectations of the time and as Manne talks about too, they lived in a patriarchal society were it was expected that all men must be valiant and strong and fearsome. Manne talks about how this is a factor today in that men become misogynistic when someone challenges the ideas they have about how men and women should act.
In today’s society, I think it’s hard to say that you haven’t experienced so form of misogyny. It’s hard to escape the ideas of those around you with social media and people so openly sharing their beliefs online. I see it everyday when I look at my phone and I hope that one day soon it will be a thing of the past.
I found the most striking appearance of misogyny in the Tain to be how women are treated as bargaining chips in the battles between men. Women are “plundered” in battle, “carried over shoulders” and lumped in with cattle. Cuchulainn is offered the “noblest women” and milkless cattle, then when that is rejected, he is offered bondwomen and milch cows. Never once is the women’s humanity considered; instead, the deals are rejected based on what that would mean for their sons and the cows. It in my opinion perfectly portrays misogyny as Manne describes it; not intentionally hostile or cruel, simply behaviors so deeply ingrained that to do otherwise is not even considered.
I believe that everyone has been exposed to misogyny, even if they don’t realize it. As a teaching assistant for geology labs, I can’t help but notice how freshman students who are men automatically assume they must know more than me or speak over me, despite me being their superior. I have more knowledge and experience, but because they see me as a woman, they assume I can’t know more than they do. It is not malicious, but it is very frustrating and an insult when I’m trying to do my job.
Looking at some of the characteristics of Cuchulainn, it pairs with the characteristics Manne describes in her chapter. For example, Cuchulainn has extreme strength and can be characterized as violent, aggressive, and controlling. The first half of our reading details basically how strong he is and how people are “helpless” against him (82). This version of a male is the typical, ideal embodiment of what a man should be and the qualities he should have but rather than using terms like violent and controlling they are described as strong and leader like. Manne’s example of the man at the restaurant being quickly disappointed and frustrated by the service (page 50) demonstrates similar characteristics to the hero of the Tain in the sense that there is an inherent need for dominance in both characters and its usually portrayed by physical or intellectual dominance.
It was difficult, but necessary to read about the misogyny in “The Tain” and reflect on what this meant during this time period. The women were treated more like chess players rather than human beings. For instance, you could say that the women in the story were just here to please the men and make sure they were satisfied in every way possible. This behavior from the men is something that isn’t new and will continue to happen if it isn’t addressed for the wrongfulness it truly is.
I unfortunately hear and see misogyny all the time. It is a significant issue late at night at the bars in downtown Charleston. I have close friends that run into that problem outside of bars when guys just think they can take advantage of women just because they can. It is truly awful to see this and any time I see this in person, I will not only address it but I will make sure they stop immediately. It isn’t fair to these wonderful women to be taken advantage of because these men think they hold some higher power over women. I won’t stand for that and I will always be here for the women that have been through any of these terrifying situations.
this section of The Tain, fluctuated greatly between reversal of stereotypical male and female roles, and standardized roles of men and women. In Kate Manne’s chapter, she discussed the fact that women who are enabling misogyny are just as bad as their male counterparts. In the story of Cuchulainn’s boyhood deeds, we see him enforcing his patriarchal power by requesting the presence of breasts. This also raises the question of “are women enabling misogyny if they don’t have another choice, and how does Kate Manne’s new definition address this issue?” In Death Of Orlam, we see misogyny flipped on its head with the presence of Mebd. She has a commanding presence that is not questioned by her male counterparts. While Cuchulaine presents the ideal presence masculinity in a misogynistc world, Mebd challenges it by not only being a female, but presenting herself in a different fashion that is still a commanding presence.
As a queer woman, I feel that the target for misogynist behavior is greatly pointed in my direction. This comes from the fact that my life goal is not to marry a man and bear his children. I feel that the idea of my life not revolving around men has created a space where men feel like they need to force their way into.
In this reading of The Tain, one part that seemed misogynistic to me but also confused me was when Ailill asks Cuillius to spy on Medb and Fergus to investigate why they had gotten so close. When Cuillius returns he tells Ailill that Fergus and Medb are indeed sleeping together. Then, Ailill and Cuillius just smile and say it is okay because she is doing what she needs to do in order to keep Fergus around to help them. Then everyone goes on to recite poems in which they seem to be bashing women saying, “giddy women / crawling entering / battling with great murky deeds / under cover / everywhere” (105). If Ailill did not care in the first place then why did he even ask Cuillius to investigate, other than to reveal something that is semi-wrong that Medb is doing. As for personally experiencing misogyny, I work as a server and everyday I get at least one disgusting comment from a man. I also know a lot of people who have experienced similar things, because despite the fact that it should be obvious that I am literally being paid to be nice to people, it’s always misconstrued as something that makes them feel they can say comments that make me uncomfortable.
In her breaking down of the various ways in which those can define misogyny rather than use what she believes is a “naïve conception” of the term, Manne asserts an interesting note regarding patriarchal institutions and their effects. She discusses how “these patriarchal institutions will vary widely in their material and structural, as well as their social, features. But they will be such that all or most women are positioned as subordinate in relation to some man” (45). In today’s reading for The Tain, I did not see similar instances to the first half of reading where there are both negative and positive depictions of women, but rather solely instances in which the patriarchy is asserting a mysoginstic control over the women through their acts of dominance. For example, when Cuchulainn arrives at Emain Macha, the watcher is so afraid of his power that after telling Conchobor of his arrival, Cuchulainn is showered with naked women to appease him. In this instance, Cuchulainn, and Conchobor to an extent, are asserting their patriarchal dominance and forcing the women to please the approaching warrior leaving them with no control over their own bodies.
There are many instances of the effects of misogyny in the Tain. I found that women’s roles in these situations of war and fighting are often nothing but tools for bartering. Women, including a queen, showed their bare breasts as part of a set of conditions to pacify Cuchulainn so he doesn’t slay the entire court once he reaches Emain. There are also occasions where women and cattle are used as offerings towards Cuchulainn, reducing their status as human to that of the animals. Cuchulainn’s relentless expressions of total dominance from his childhood (beating every boy from Emain at their own games, decapitating anyone who dared to test him) are also very clear results of the masculinity that is taught to boys– all stemming from misogynist ideas. He is “lucky” enough to have been naturally graced with his talents for fighting rather than acquiring them through intense training, but the attitudes of misogyny are still very evident nonetheless.
Women are not portrayed in the best light in The Tain. On page 81, when the marauders attack, the women simply start screaming instead of taking any form of action. This is a misogynistic showcase of women in idea that women are subordinates under males. In Down Girl, Manne states, “misogyny ought to be understood as the system that operates within a patriarchal social order to police and enforce women’s subordination and to uphold male dominance” (33). The reading of The Tain enhances this view by Manne by showing males being so heroic and showing their strength by beheading their foes. The males are dominate in the story.
Women in the Táin are not the most well known for being well presented or protrayed in their best interest. There are stories in the Táin in which women are not character but more “things”. Such as in “Cuchulainn’s Boyhood deeds”, in which there are no described female characters beside the “naked women” that are called for in the end. This is a story that primarily follows a very masculine male character, who does mysoginistc things in the stories he’s in. The naked ladies, though, are a mysoginistic representation of the way women were treated with ill respect and only existed for the pleasure of men. A story that only has women in a plain sexual light is very mysoginistic in itself.
Mysoginy is something women face everyday even in little somewhat meaningless comments. Its isnt a small thing but a big thing that is incredibly present in our society and hasnt gone away by any means.
The men in “The Táin” are a prime example of the enforced masculinity we’ve often seen throughout history that has negative effects on both men and women. Like Kate Manne states on page 33, “…I argue that misogyny ought to be understood as the system that operates within a patriarchal social order…”. Misogyny stems from patriarchy, from a system that upholds male dominance and enforces female submission, while simultaneously making men fight for their place among other ruling men. This is seen in the men’s idea of what it means to be a man, more “strength or sternness”, more “stalking, scheming or slaughter,” more “cleverness, courage or blows in battle,” all words to describe a man being what men believe they were born to be. Whereas most women in this story are used as pawns or portrayed as the embodiment of male pleasure, not being seen as their own entities. Mebd changes this narrative a bit, but she’s only one woman compared to many others.
As a woman working any job, I’m always dismissed if a male coworker is standing next to me and therefore can be spoken to first, no matter what. Even if it’s clear that he’s training/observing and I hold some measure of seniority over him, I’m never looked at as the authority first. While it may be subconscious on the customers part, the natural assumption is that the man in the situation is the one to defer to.
In Manne’s work she says that “when one’s effigy is one’s body, one burns right along with it (59).” In relation to the treatment of the women in the Tain, as well as modern-day examples that women experience almost daily it makes sense. While in the US we don’t exactly see effigies burning in retaliation to things, the imagery is enough. With the facilitation of misogyny, women are constantly burning, a never-ending fire slowly putting them out. The language of the descriptions of the women in the Tain shows that it’s still the same prevalent. At one point it reads as if they’re comparing women to cattle, women are asked to present their breasts, and there’s a section where they’re comparing their value in relation to the curse. They aren’t treated as awful as other medieval works, but they’re still referred to as if they’re lesser beings than the men. That is something that is seen still in discussing women to this day in our society, experiencing misogyny is normalcy as tragically as it should not be.