Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Pledging Troth in Malory's “Tale of Sir Gareth”
- 2 The King and Queen's Marriage: Dowry, Infertility, and Adultery
- 3 Marriageable Daughters: The Two Elaines
- 4 Fathers and Sons in Malory
- 5 Royal Bastardy, Incest, and a Failed Dynasty
- Epilogue
- Works Cited
- Index
- Arthurian Studies
4 - Fathers and Sons in Malory
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Pledging Troth in Malory's “Tale of Sir Gareth”
- 2 The King and Queen's Marriage: Dowry, Infertility, and Adultery
- 3 Marriageable Daughters: The Two Elaines
- 4 Fathers and Sons in Malory
- 5 Royal Bastardy, Incest, and a Failed Dynasty
- Epilogue
- Works Cited
- Index
- Arthurian Studies
Summary
As the previous chapter has demonstrated, both Elaines hope for companionable marriage with Launcelot, and, failing to secure his affection, they attempt to barter their bodies. Elaine of Ascolat's plight reveals patriarchal assumptions about the social necessity of virginity in a marriageable daughter while Elaine of Corbin's reveals the assumed value of producing children, particularly sons. In the Morte Darthur female sexuality is never simply about a woman's control of her body; familial and even public concerns intrude on her bodily destiny. Whereas for Malory's women, maintaining chastity is required in order to bear a legitimate heir, for Malory's men, no such prescription holds. For the Morte Darthur's fathers, a “natural” view of sex prevails.
With the exception of the “Tale of the Sankgreal,” throughout the Morte Darthur men engage in sex within and outside of marriage. Apart from Queen Guenevere, women conceive children with surprising ease, usually upon the couple first coming together. Arthur's first illegitimate son results from such a fortuitous conception:
Than in the meanewhyle there com a damesell that was an erlis doughter … and hir name was Lyonors, a passyng fayre damesell…. And kynge Arthure sette hys love gretly on hir, and so ded she uppon hym, and so the kynge had ado with hir and gate on hir a chylde. And hys name was Borre, that was aftir a good knyght and of the Table Rounde.…
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- Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2006