Need help with homework: The Wife of Bath- first feminist literary character?

Antigone?

Although Medusa is really more about a woman raging against the gods, she may qualify, if read properly, as a feminist character.

Atalanta!

on this board of all places

Euripides's Medea could possibly be construed as such

Possibly Deborah from the Book of Judges.

meek and good in bed very often do not go together.

Lady Fujitsubo, obviously.

sure bert wrote:

Antigone?

I lol'd

ghey much?

How about Dido in the Aeneid. She leads her people to build Carthage and then rather than suffer disgrace elects to die.

The protagonist in The Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon is pretty out there in terms of being a feisty lady.

I think it's 10th century.

How does the Wife of Bath's behavior make her a feminist character? She's just a domineering slut!

Lysistrata?

And tell us, what is "ghey" about Antigone?

Concerned Girl wrote:

How does the Wife of Bath\'s behavior make her a feminist character? She\'s just a domineering slut!

That\'s a feminist alright, although many are to ugly and shrewish to be sluts.

Cleopatra?

A Submissive Housewife wrote:

Concerned Girl wrote:

How does the Wife of Bath's behavior make her a feminist character? She's just a domineering slut!

That's a feminist alright, although many are to ugly and shrewish to be sluts.

Why is it called feminism when a wife controls a husband, but abuse when a husband controls a wife?

rgrhhhjjk wrote:

Why is it called feminism when a wife controls a husband, but abuse when a husband controls a wife?

Because women are inherently good and men are inherently evil?

So basically, no, she isn't.

I am a Chaucerian by trade, let me weigh in a bit. Just as a preliminary note, I am not a Canterbury Tales expert--I focus on Chaucer's dream visions ("Parliament of Fowls", "Book of the Duchess", "House of Fame").

Anyways, the Wife of Bath is not even the first feminist (arguably) character in Chaucer. Take a look at Criseyde of "Troilus and Criseyde." Not only did Chaucer write this before the Tales, but Criseyde has a long literary path of analogues. It may be more appropriate to say that the Wife of Bath is the first somewhat ORIGINAL (sorry, can't italicize) feminist character in CHAUCER, but certainly not history. I am not really certain what the consensus is concerning analogues to the WIfe of Bath's prologue but you could do a little research, I'm sure that information would be pretty accessible.

To answer rgrhhhjjk's question:

"Why is it called feminism when a wife controls a husband, but abuse when a husband controls a wife?"

The Wife of Bath does address this somewhat in her tale. When the figure (supposed) of Gawain must do penance for rape by finding out what women most want. It turns out, after a long ordeal, that women most want sovereignty in a marriage.