Sex

A detailed Summary of Sex

During the Middle Ages, French society, along with the rest of Europe, revolved around the warrior class. In order to gain land and power nobles gave their services in the military and lived violent lifestyles. Treatment toward women during this period was harsh. "In a society of landed nobility dispersed fairly loosely across the country in their castles and estates, the likelihood of a preponderance of the man over the woman and thus of a more or less unconcealed male dominance, is very great." (Elias, Page 325.) Men beat their wives and typically had little respect for them. Marriage was based not on love but on increase in influence and wealth. "But often enough we hear of the other side, of a warrior, whether a king or a simple seigneur, beating his wife. It seems almost an established habit for the knight, flying into a rage, to punch his wife of the nose till blood flows." (Page 324.) However, from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries dramatic political changes emerged throughout Europe and a high court system developed in France. Power shifted to revolve around the monarch who created palace life. "By and large it can be said that a more peaceable soc

Emphasis began to be placed on beauty and love, an emotion virtually void in the warrior society. Troubadour poetry and minnesang rose, creating a social elite of women. They became figures of lust and desire, and men of lower social status admired those of high ranking. This was important for women because they had previously been regarded as inferior to men. "There is little talk of 'love' in this warrior society. And one has the impression that a man in love would have appeared ridiculous among these warriors. Women were generally regarded by these men as inferior beings. There were enough of them available. They serve to gratify drives in their simplest form." (Page 327.) When society changed from the warrior class to a court system, this love poetry and admittance of love to society made women seem difficult to attain and thus placed importance and status on them. "This is the situation, this the emotional setting of minnesang, in which henceforth down the centuries lovers recognize something of their own feelings." (Page 328.) Society became more refined and this centered on the figure of femininity as women are traditionally seen as the softer, gentler s

Some common words found in the essay are:
Middle Ages, France Power, Elias Page, Ages French, Louis XIV, court system, court life, middle ages, warrior class, page 325, regarded inferior, warrior society, social status, social life,

Approximate Word count = 794
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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Sex

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