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IMC 2021: Sessions

Session 1320: Arms, Armour, and the Arts of Combat, II: Combat in Medieval Romance

Wednesday 7 July 2021, 16.30-18.00

Organiser:Jacob H. Deacon, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Moderator/Chair:Jacob H. Deacon, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Paper 1320-aDisintegrating Medieval Gender Roles: Women and Armour in 13th-Century Narratives
(Language: English)
Romana Kaske, Institut für Kunstgeschichte, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - German, Mentalities
Paper 1320-bMartial Culture in the Middle English Prose Merlin
(Language: English)
Elizabeth Champion, English & Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick
Index terms: Folk Studies, Language and Literature - Middle English, Military History
Paper 1320-cTristan Is Better than Lancelot: The 14th-Century Italian Tavola Ritonda Read through Fight Books
(Language: English)
Laura Bernardazzi, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York
Index terms: Language and Literature - Comparative, Language and Literature - Italian, Military History
Abstract

This session explores literary depictions of martial culture and combat in romance literature. Romana Kaske will use literary depictions of armour to highlight how medieval women could claim power in male-dominated social fields by strategically using male-coded objects. Elizabeth Champion will contrast the appearance of tournament and battle in the Middle English Prose Merlin. Laura Bernadazzi will argue, via a comparison of late medieval romances and fight books, that Tristan is portrayed as a knight with better fighting skills than Lancelot, disputing the latter's status as 'the best' knight.