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Reviewed by:
  • Brothers and Sisters in Medieval European Literature by Carolyne Larrington
  • Rachel E. Moss
Carolyne Larrington, Brothers and Sisters in Medieval European Literature. Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Rochester, New York: York Medieval Press, 2015. Pp. ix, 275. isbn: 978–1–903153–62–8. $99.

In Malory’s Morte Darthur, Gawain’s emotional reaction to the accidental killing by Lancelot of his brothers Gareth and Gaheris is one of the most vividly depicted of any in that great work: he swoons and lies as if dead, and upon awaking runs weeping to King Arthur. It is a powerful demonstration of brotherly love; but as Carolyne Larrington points out, it is an emotional reaction complicated by Gawain’s knowledge that Gareth loved Lancelot better than his own brothers. Part of Gawain’s anguish is caused by the inevitable friction between competing ties of blood and other social bonds. Gawain’s duty is to avenge his brothers; but he goes too far in refusing any kind of settlement with Lancelot. Gawain cannot forgive the ‘preferred friend, the better-than-brother’ (p. 66) who superseded family in Gareth’s affections.

The complexities of the sibling bond as articulated in medieval literature are the focus of this stimulating book, wide-ranging in both chronology (500–1500) and geographical scope. Icelandic sagas sit alongside French romance and Irish legend, [End Page 181] allowing for cross-cultural comparisons that draw out something of the essential nature of sibling stories. According to Larrington, modern sibling theory provides a ‘qualified’ understanding of medieval sibling dynamics, arguing that while the ‘historical realities for siblings between 500 and 1500 were extremely various,’ the ‘essential parameters of brothers’ and sisters’ feelings . . . remain unchanged’ (p. 235). Across eight chapters, Larrington builds a dynamic case for understanding sibling relationships in medieval narratives as compelling both in their own right and in examining larger themes such as the social cost of feuding, the problems of inheritance, and the exercise of political authority. By using a wide range of source material, she is able to show that themes replicated across texts demonstrate fundamental preoccupations about sibling bonds. Siblings share not only ‘biological and legal genealogy’ (p. 8) but often also childhood experiences and social networks. Brothers and sisters play an essential role in identity formation, in both positive and negative ways. The ‘work of the sibling’, Larrington argues, is to differentiate him- or herself from the rest of the sibling group. This can provide positive results, where siblings develop different but complementary identities. It can also result in extreme rivalry as siblings jostle to occupy one preferred space, often that of heir. Siblings can be enormous sources of social, political and emotional support to one another, though the demands of narrative often put stress on their bonds. Parental favoritism, inadequate or unjust partition of inheritance or romantic rivalry can result in the collapse of sibling bonds. While the bond between two brothers can represent the ideal male relationship of love and loyalty between near-equals, its breakdown can have catastrophic effects on the family unit as a whole. If a sibling relationship is not threatened from within, it can still provide the spur to action, for instance in the demand for blood vengeance by the surviving sibling when one brother is murdered. Medieval readers must have understood the emotional values of the sibling bond in order for these narratives to have impact, and Larrington sheds much light on what these values might be, and why readers might find them compelling.

Her method—marrying close reading of medieval texts with psychoanalytic theory—is not without problems, however. Larrington makes the case that the parameters of fraternal and sororal relationships are characterized across time by love, hatred, loyalty, and rivalry, but surprisingly makes no recourse to the emergent field of the history of emotions. Larrington seems to assume that these four emotional qualities feel the same across time and across texts in multiple languages. Furthermore, although her first chapter attempts to place the medieval sibling in historical context, there is only a superficial acknowledgment of temporal and regional variation in familial experience. This is replicated in the succeeding chapters, which analyze medieval texts without giving much sense of...

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