Thursday, February 21, 2008

Woman and Radegund

In all accounts of St. Radegund's life she is described as a pious wowan in that she is, "energetically alms giving", and "she believed that anything that the poor recieved from her was their own in reality." What I see in the accounts of her life from the course reader that I see as different from Gregory of Tours is the way in whicht they talk about her. In the course reader she is described mainly as important because yes she is saintly, but she is a saintly woman and God "wins mighty victories through the female sex and, despite their frail physique, He confers glory and greatness on women through strength of mind.". In general I feel like the authors in the course reader almost see to be explaining away the fact that she is a woman at times so that she might appear saintly. In Gregory of Tours, he establishes that she is a woman, yes, but he never takes the time to descrie her disadvantage of being a woman. In fact, he describes her as having great influence with God and the Frankish kings when Clotild was upset and pleaded in all directions for escape from the "menevolent" Radegund. I would like to know more textual information to gain knowledge of the views of women in the times of all the authors.

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