The Masculine Self in Late Medieval England (review)

This learned, demanding and closely-argued book takes up and develops a theme which has deep roots in historical and literary writing, but has become very active in the last ten years. Neal is anxious that the subject of medieval masculinity should not be reduced to the consideration of power and status, in which such themes as the ideas of chivalry and the practice of war would occupy the foreground. He warns at the beginning and throughout the book that medieval people are thought to fit into simple social and cultural categories, but he emphasizes their complexity and individuality. They deserve therefore a subtle analysis of their emotions and actions.

The first three chapters which contain the bulk of the historical analysis are based on extensive searches through court records - these include cases in the court of chancery, but mainly consist of church court proceedings, most of which date from the very early sixteenth century. For this exploration of masculinity these records contain some very detailed material, in which colourful incidents are described, the actors are given a context, and speech is reported. Neal does not depend on any form of quantitative study of cases, but instead picks out detailed examples, and subjects them to close analysis, which occasionally extends over a number of pages.

Out of this careful examination emerges a consistent linguistic pattern which throws light on contemporaries' assessment of male qualities. The positive word is 'true', which conveys the honesty and loyalty of the person described. Men who fail to live up to the expectations of society were said to be 'false' or called a 'thief'. Neal appropriates the contemporary word 'husbandry' to depict the virtues of the adult male's responsibility for the management of land, trade or property. This required virtues of moderation and self-restraint, so the landholder who wasted goods through excessive expenditure failed in his masculine duty. Other male deficiencies included neglecting to maintain discipline in the household, so that their wives were unfaithful and their servants committed crimes. The clergy are brought into the picture again through the medium of the court records. Their celibacy did not detract from their masculinity, and in many respects they behaved like secular men - they joined in social occasions, played games, held property, and sometimes quarrelled and behaved badly. Male sexuality, like the other attributes of the late medieval male, is discussed in terms of the experiences among townspeople and better-off villagers, rather than the aristocracy who often dominate in analyses of social attitudes and behaviour. Examples of male aggression and exploitation of the double standard include a typical defamation case from the village of Sturrey in Kent in 1415, where John Maldon told a group of male companions that Alice Yarewell had slept with a number of men and was dissolute in character. This malicious rumour, she claimed, had damaged her chances of marriage, in one case with a fisherman who could 'spend five marks [£3 6s. 8d.]' per year, a figure which places her, and presumably the other people involved, in the middling ranks of society. We can imagine that the background to the defamation was Alice's rejection of Maldon, and the stories gave him his revenge.

The final chapter involves a change of source material and approach, as Neal moves from the court cases to late medieval romances, and uses psychological insights to explore the conscious and unconscious assumptions of the authors of these poems. He notes the preoccupation of these works with the father-son relationship.

There is much to admire in this book, which explores some difficult concepts without excessive linguistic obscurity. This reviewer wished to have more consideration of the social context of the cases such as the places, and the class of the people involved, or at least their occupations and wealth. Neal considers the changes that may have taken place during the period he covers - mainly 1350-1530, and he notes a shift...