After I completed the readings and
listened to the What’s Her Name? podcast, I was struck by one of the
host’s comments during the episode. She mentioned that no one really chose to
become a nun or monk in the Middle Ages; instead, “extra” children were given to
the church as a form of tithing, and these children were expected to pray for
the family continuously. In this manner, they were seen as contributing to the
family’s welfare and best interest. Additionally, the life of a nun—as the host
points out—is not ideal. A nun was expected to pray seven times per day and
then eat in silence, so she could focus on God in the silence. While I am not a
member of the catholic tradition, this medieval practice seems like a form of
entrapment with a religious covering. Could young women leave the sisterhood
since they did not have the initial agency to join as children? Since select nuns
were “walled in,” it especially appears that they had a lack of physical
freedom, as well.
I was also struck by the host’s comment that nuns never allowed themselves to be too comfortable: they would not eat to completely satisfy their hunger, and they would not allow themselves a full night’s sleep since they would wake up around 2:00 or 3:00 AM to pray. The host elaborated that being uncomfortable allowed them to get closer to God since restlessness and slight hunger were forms of physical and emotional fasting. This immediately reminded me of the medieval chivalric code, which taught that knights should not allow themselves to live comfortable lives. Instead, a chivalric knight would feel physical discomfort through a variety of means (i.e., a hair shirt). I wonder if the nuns’ form of piety was inspired or simply reflecting the chivalric values of medieval culture. Could this be an example of women attempting to create a role in an androcentric chivalric code?