What was the socio-cultural function of the feasts of Corpus Christi? How did these festivals serve as celebration of "the body"? What socio-political groups interests were served by the festivities?
Socio-cultural function of the feasts of Corpus Christi was set up for the celebration of the body of the Christ. What we eat is the metaphor for the body of the Christ. This way people felt like they were a part of the Christ. Every movement they made after the feast signified the "movement of the Christ" The body was also a symbol of how the body was percieved. Guilds celebration of the body was a statement of "we are alive"
As celebration, there would be bible readings and plays. The whole community would gather and form communitas. These gatherings would also have an effect on the dynamics of the culture. Middle class was formed through out the time of celebration. This is very important because the gaps between classes started to not become as wide and noticable. Middle class men could hope to be high class. They could show their power and possibilties of becoming high class through their performances.
In most countries and regions, the class situation is a problem in our society today. The saying "rich is getting richer, the poor is getting poorer" is still accurate for some countries. In Turkey, the gaps between the low class and high class are still very noticable. The idea of the middle class is not developed. I wonder if the reason behind that is because the low class never had the chance to prove themselves to the society. It is amazing to me that through performance, people could show their strength and creativity to their society. The hope of posibilities is a vital turning point in any society.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Essay # 1
What role did women play in the performance of cultural texts in this era? Why were there differences between the performative roles of men and women? Were the contributions of one gender valued more highly than the other?
Women were involved in many parts of the society. While men had to spend their lives in battlefields, women were responsible with taking care of the house hold. Conquergood stated that the women "managed the important domestic affairs which hold a society together, they probably sang work-song in the fields, soothed wedding-songs, educated children with hortatory tales, gossiped and joked among themselves" (Taylor, 2010). Women had to find ways to support their family.
The difference between the women and men's performative roles were significantly unlike because men were using performance as a support mechanism. There were pre-battle performances that kept men focused on their task. It was important for men to feel cohesive with eachother. The form of performance men used was to stay strong and be ready for the battle. On the other hand, women were left behind with children. They were responsible with taking care of the household and educating children which could be a difficult task for a women to deal with all by herself.
The contribution of one gender was not valued more highly then the other because each gender had responsibilities that required mental and physical strength. "There is no doubt that old english society allowed to women, not only private influence, but also the widest liberty of intervention in public affairs" (Stenton, 1942, p.1). Women had a say in almost all topics in the soceity. The performative roles of men and women were equal in Anglo-Saxon era. "The interdependence which women had enjoyed was never completely lost during the centuries of old english history" (Stenton, 1942, p. 13). Since men had other duties at that era, women had to step up and stay strong.
Stenton, F.M. (1943). Presidential address: the historical bearing of place-name studies: the
place of women in anglo-saxon society. Royal Historical Society, 24. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3678611
Women were involved in many parts of the society. While men had to spend their lives in battlefields, women were responsible with taking care of the house hold. Conquergood stated that the women "managed the important domestic affairs which hold a society together, they probably sang work-song in the fields, soothed wedding-songs, educated children with hortatory tales, gossiped and joked among themselves" (Taylor, 2010). Women had to find ways to support their family.
The difference between the women and men's performative roles were significantly unlike because men were using performance as a support mechanism. There were pre-battle performances that kept men focused on their task. It was important for men to feel cohesive with eachother. The form of performance men used was to stay strong and be ready for the battle. On the other hand, women were left behind with children. They were responsible with taking care of the household and educating children which could be a difficult task for a women to deal with all by herself.
The contribution of one gender was not valued more highly then the other because each gender had responsibilities that required mental and physical strength. "There is no doubt that old english society allowed to women, not only private influence, but also the widest liberty of intervention in public affairs" (Stenton, 1942, p.1). Women had a say in almost all topics in the soceity. The performative roles of men and women were equal in Anglo-Saxon era. "The interdependence which women had enjoyed was never completely lost during the centuries of old english history" (Stenton, 1942, p. 13). Since men had other duties at that era, women had to step up and stay strong.
Stenton, F.M. (1943). Presidential address: the historical bearing of place-name studies: the
place of women in anglo-saxon society. Royal Historical Society, 24. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3678611
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